Pinnacles Loop
Hike Review:
I hiked the Balconies Cliff Trail, Old Pinnacles Trail, Blue Oak Trail, Condor Gulch Trail, High Peaks Trail, Tunnel Trail, and the Juniper Canyon Trail to finish the loop.
The Balconies Cliff Trail was like starting a movie with the bang! The Balconies area was beautiful to look at and the dominating view of Machete Ridge was awe inspiring.
The Old Pinnacles Trail is one that I had hiked before (maybe a dozen years ago?) and it was a no-drama, flat trail that was the calm before the storm.
Blue Oak Trail and Condor Gulch Trail were tough. I almost immediately started overheating and just had to slog it through. These trails also had almost no shade, so it was just miserable.
High Peaks Trail, while as tough as the previous two trails, at least had great views and fun/scary trail that required some white knuckles holding on to the railing.
Juniper Canyon Trail was a nice trail that seemed to dance around the various pinnacle rocks that dotted the landscape. Closer to the parking lot, there was also some shade, which I appreciated.
It was my first time accessing Pinnacles National Park from the west side and I loved how quiet it was compared to the East side. Also, there was tons of parking, and the single lane road was freshly paved.
What I Learned:
I really appreciated the bathrooms and water fountains that seemed to be really well spaced out for this hike. Because of that, I never had to reach for my reserve water bottle. The bathrooms were also awesome as I used them to wash my face and to wet my shirt to help cool me down.
I did this hike to check out some of the rock climbing routes that I plan to do in October. The Anvil, The Unmentionable, and Photographers Delight were all very fun looking (the last a bit scary), but I can’t wait to climb them.
I climbed a few boulders on the side of the trail, but stopped as my approach shoes got two more holes in them. I’m not sure if it’s due to the climbing or just my wide feet, but I wasn’t very happy that I have to fix my approach shoes again.
Physically, I thought I did well, especially since I jogged a bit in the first few miles of the hike. I felt a little bit of discomfort on my right hip (a feeling that I’m very familiar with), but that went away around the 4 mile mark. Otherwise, my legs and feet felt just fine.
Media Consumed:
1984—finished!
The Spy—finished!
What Happened?
13.1 miles, 6 hrs 1 min, 3899 ft of ascent
I hadn’t hiked more than 10 miles since late August, so I really wanted to hike something long to get my body ready for my challenging mid-October hike. I found it at Pinnacles, which would have been challenging purely due to the length and elevation gain, but what I found most difficult was the temperature, which got to the mid 80s by the end of the hike. I know that’s not too hot for many people, but it sure was a miserable hike for me.
Having said that though, I’m glad I hiked this trail as I found the views of the Pinnacles to be marvelous. I can’t wait to come back here and climb some of these pinnacles.