Category Archives: Pinnacles National Park

Top 10 Hikes in 2022

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Andrew Wojtanik

As 2022 draws to an end, it is—as per tradition—time to look back on the year at Live and Let Hike. This is the ninth year of the blog—the tenth anniversary coming in 2023—and there was no let-up in content, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Big Sur, California, Colorado, Dinosaur National Monument, Illinois, Moderate Hikes, Pinnacles National Park, Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, Starved Rock State Park, Strenuous Hikes, Utah, Wyoming, Yosemite National Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Balconies Cliffs – Balconies Cave Trail Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

Talus caves—formed when crashing boulders fall into chasms, flooding the canyon with darkness—are an intriguing feature of central California’s Pinnacles National Park, which boasts two such pseudo-karst caverns. The most popular of the two is Bear Gulch Cave, most easily … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Moderate Hikes, Pinnacles National Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Juniper Canyon Trail to High Peaks Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Andrew Wojtanik

So jagged, sharp, and forbidding are the towering spires of central California’s Pinnacles National Park that there is no road able to bisect it, leaving visitors to drive up to the base of the breccia wonderland—and then hike the rest. … Continue reading →

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Chalone Peak Trail (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Andrew Wojtanik

Rising to 3,304 feet, Chalone Peak is the highest point in California’s Pinnacles National Park and a worthy challenge for peak-baggers who seek to brave the exposed sun and 2,000 feet in elevation gain to reach the summit. The Chalone … Continue reading →

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South Wilderness Trail (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Andrew Wojtanik

Every national park has one: a trail that, despite lacking any particularly notable beauty, exists seemingly to be hiked only by those seeking the satisfaction of completing every trail in the park. In Capitol Reef National Park, a former focus … Continue reading →

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Bear Gulch Cave – Rim Trail Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Andrew Wojtanik

Sporting one of California’s finest talus caves and shoreline access to a picturesque, rock-hewn reservoir, the Bear Gulch Cave Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Pinnacles National Park. Here a jumble of boulders, so large and tightly-packed … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Moderate Hikes, Pinnacles National Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Top 10 Hikes in 2019

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Andrew Wojtanik

2019 has come and gone, and it was an excellent year for hiking. Over the course of the year, I added 43 posts to Live and Let Hike and notched nearly 150,000 site visits (81,000 visitors). As always, the travel … Continue reading →

Posted in California, East Bay, George Washington National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, Jefferson National Forest, Moderate Hikes, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Pinnacles National Park, Santa Cruz Mountains, Strenuous Hikes, Virginia, Wyoming, Yosemite National Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Condor Gulch – High Peaks Trail Loop (Pinnacles National Park, CA)

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Andrew Wojtanik

Originally the work of volcanoes 23 million years ago, the rocks of today’s Pinnacles National Park were moved, upended, chiseled, and weathered by water, wind, and the infamous temper of the San Andreas Fault in central California. The result is … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Pinnacles National Park, Strenuous Hikes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments