Pinnacles National Park

If you start at the Old Pinnacles trailhead on the east side, you have about a 9.5 mile hike over the High Peaks and back through the Balconies Caves.
If you start on the west side at the Chaparral Parking lot you can do the High Peaks loop in under 4 miles.
There is NO DRIVABLE CONNECTION between the east and west sides within the park.
Either route has about 1,000' elevation gain.

There are at least two caves in Pinnacles.
They have bats.
This means sometimes the caves are closed.
Check into this before you attempt a hike.

If you do the Balconies Caves / Balconies Cliffs loop from the west side it's only about 2 miles total.
There are bar-b-que pits at the Chaparral parking lot.
If there's no fire danger, (check first,) you can have a nice afternoon bar-b-que and a short hike.
Those who don't want to do the hike can relax at the bar-b-que for you to come back.

I've only been in the one cave, the Balconies Cave.
It was cool.
Wrong season.
I didn't see ny bats.
DEFINITELY take a flashlight, (or use the flashlight in your phone if you have one. Doug proved they are surprisingly good.)

Pinnacles is half of an old volcano which moved north from L.A. with the San Andreas fault.
The other half stayed down there.

Due to the arid nature of the area, you may mot want to do this hike on a hot, sunshiny day.
You will melt.
Take plenty of water.

Pinnacles National Park - The Explanation
2015-04-19-5