Pinnacles National Park in Spring

The newest National Park--Pinnacles is an old friend (a National Monument) with a new name. I have made a  trek there with friends to look at spring wildflowers for more than a decade. This year was a bit dry, but still enabled us to find 40+ species  in two days. A favorite hard-to-spot flower is Bitterroot. It hides in gravelly soil in full sun and with almost no basal leaves it strains the eyes to find it. One was in full bloom (see left). Once we found that one our eyes suddenly found a dozen plants with tightly closed buds.

If you have never been to Pinnacles be prepared to climb to the High Peaks which are part of an ancient volcano, that slowly rode the Pacific Plate about 195 north, leaving a trace of the same rock behind in Los Angeles County near Lancaster. The Civilian Conservaton Corps (CCC) built trails, tunnels and a dam in the 1930s that are still in use today. The staircase shown at left with steps blasted out of the distinctive rhyolite rock aids your ascent to the  High Peaks.

With a little luck you may see adult condors warming up to start their day's gliding as thermals rise in the late morning. We saw four adults on a ledge as we hiked up Condor Gulch trail and then suddenly they rose at once, spreading their 9' wings to circle above us and take off over the peaks. All 30+ condors now in the Pinnacles wear tracking devices. We ran into a biologist with his signal receiving gear who told us that the Pinnacles group and the Ventana group of Condors visit each other regularly. No sweat to travel more than 100 miles when you have a 9' wingspan!

Our visit was over the spring vacation break so there were many  students rock climbing and hiking. It was great to see young people enjoying the outdoors. If you're anywhere in the area of San Benito County--not far from San Jose or Monterey--stop to visit this incredible jewel in the National Park system.