Tag Archives: Gabilan Range

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 →

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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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Fremont Peak Trail (Fremont Peak State Park, CA)

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Andrew Wojtanik

Fremont Peak, one of the highest in the Gabilan Range south of the Bay Area, takes its name from the 19th century explorer, military officer, senator, and presidential candidate John C. Fremont, whose survey expedition passed through the area in … 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 →

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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 →

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