Pinnacles National Park (West) – A Perfect 2 Day Itinerary

Pinnacles National Park is one of the most fascinating landscapes in California filled with canyons, spires and pitch dark caves formed from volcanic eruptions almost 23 million years ago. It became a National Park relatively recently in 2013 and had about 300,000 visitors in 2023.

This blog post gives a 2 day itinerary to the West side of the park which is not explored enough, thus making it a perfectly relaxing weekend getaway in California. The East side and West side of the park are not connected and it takes around 1 hr 20 mins to drive from the West side to the East side.

The rest of the post contains information on driving time to the park, accommodation, things to pack and a detailed itinerary.

Driving time

• West side – 2 hr 30 mins from San Francisco, 1 hr 40 mins from San Jose
• East side – 2 hr 20 mins from San Francisco, 1 hr 30 mins from San Jose

For our trip, we explored the West side of this stunning National Park since it is not as frequented as the East side. On the West side, the Chaparral Ranger station serves as a great stop for visitors to get information about exploring the area.

Accommodation

The closest town to the West side of Pinnacles National Park is Soledad. We wanted to stay as close to the park as possible to cut down on driving time and snag parking spots for our hikes. We also wanted spacious rooms to accommodate us and our very-mobile 10 month old baby and found just the perfect place!

During our visit, we stayed at Inn at the Pinnacles which I highly recommend for the following reasons.

• 5 min drive to the West entrance of Pinnacles National Park
• Continental breakfast included with the stay
• Tastefully designed rooms with kitchenettes
• Private patio with BBQ grill
• Beautiful sunset views from the patio
• Saturday wine tasting hour and an opportunity to mingle with other guests
• Incredible stargazing opportunities without light pollution
• Gorgeous vineyards around the property

Your other option would be a motel stay somewhere in Soledad.

Note: This post is sponsored by Inn at the Pinnacles. We had an amazing time, and all opinions here are 100% mine.

What to pack for your hikes?

• Hiking clothes (preferably moisture-wicking)
• A light jacket
• Waterproof boots (the cave has some water always. In march, the water level was below the ankle but check weather conditions before going)
• Sandals to change into after the hike
• A daypack
• Reusable water bottle
• Snacks such as energy bars
• Headlamps or Flashlights (I preferred flashlights for hands-free scrambling in the caves)
• Sun protection such as sunscreen, hat and sunglasses
• First aid kit
• Downloaded trail map

2 Day Itinerary for Pinnacles National Park West

I love crafting itineraries that include active outdoor adventures as well as sufficient time to relax and recharge during our trips. The following itinerary reflects those goals to combine outdoor adventure + relaxation.

Day 1 – High Peaks, Wine Tasting and Stargazing

Start your day with a gorgeous hike along the Juniper Canyon and High Peaks trail. This is a hard hike with elevation gain but totally worth the views.

• Trail Name: Juniper Canyon Trail to High Peaks (AllTrails link)
• Distance: 4.2 mi
• Elevation Gain: 1335 ft
• Estimated Time: 2 hr 40 mins
• Difficulty: Hard

This steep climb with several switchbacks and narrow sections takes you to the High Peaks which is one of the best views in Pinnacles National Park. Keep an eye out for California Condors on this hike. Avoid hiking this trail when it is very hot and instead start your hike early in the day.

Once you are done with the hike, head back to the Inn to relax and barbecue some lunch at your private patio with a BBQ grill. On Saturdays, the Inn at the Pinnacles has a Wine Tasting hour at 5 pm. We enjoyed meeting other guests as well the owners of the Inn and getting to hear their daytime adventures at the park while exchanging other travel stories.

One of the best parts about staying here is the lack of light pollution at the Inn. Enjoy a relaxing evening staring into the dark night skies. Bring a camera along if you want to do some astrophotography. You can also head to the Chaparral parking area inside the park for night sky viewing. Remember that the ideal night for photography is on new moon, so plan your visit accordingly and check weather conditions on that day.

Day 2 – Breakfast with a View and Balconies Caves

On day 2, enjoy a standard continental breakfast with a view at your hotel and head out to hike the Balconies Caves. This is a short and easy trail. The cave part of the hike is steep, wet and pitch dark. So wear a solid pair of hiking boots with sufficient traction and carry headlamps or flashlights. I personally preferred wearing headlamps so that my hands were free to scramble through the narrow and steep sections of the cave. We also saw many visitors turn back at this part because of not carrying flashlights.

• Trail Name: Balconies Cave Trail (AllTrails link)
• Distance: 2.6 mi
• Elevation Gain: 383 ft
• Estimated Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Difficulty: Moderate

Many hikers prefer going counterclockwise along this trail and we did the same. This way you can scramble up the cave section of the hike instead of having to climb down on steep and wet boulders. If you decide to go counterclockwise, you will first hike the Balconies Cliffs section and the Balconies caves are towards the end of the hike.

If you have more time, you can do the quick and short hike on Prewett Point Trail – a 1 mile hike with beautiful views of the Pinnacles.

After the hike, grab lunch at Cocuyos Restaurant before heading back home.

I hope you enjoyed this simple, adventurous and relaxing 2 day itinerary to Pinnacles National Park West. If you end up visiting, share your experience and recommendations in the comments below!

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