California Day 2: Pinnacles National Park, West Side

I’m staying this weekend near Monterey. I’ve long been curious about Pinnacles National Park, so I ventured out to explore the west side of the park today.

California State Route 146 was once envisioned to cross through the park. Fortunately, a generation ago, it was understood that the wilderness was more valuable that any road that might pass through it, so the road is (hopefully) permanently incomplete.

Given the low traffic volume, there are some stretches of it that are marked as “one lane road.” I’d say it’s more like 1½ lanes, but still … it’s a fun and very mellow drive.

east of Soledad, California

Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

A park like this is built to celebrate distinctive natural landscapes. There were, of course, many beautiful views on the hikes I took today. I’ll let them speak for themselves:

Prewett Point Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Prewett Point Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Prewett Point Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

North Wilderness Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Balconies Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Balconies Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Balconies Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Balconies Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Balconies Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Balconies Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Juniper Canyon Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Juniper Canyon Trail, Pinnacles National Park, east of Soledad, California

Tomorrow I shall explore the east side of the park.