A spectacular Central California hike that offers a little bit of everything. You’ll crawl through tight cave openings, scale a series of rock staircases, and walk amongst the revived California Condor as you climb across the rocky mountain peaks.
The Condor Gulch to High Peaks Trail to Bear Gulch is roughly a 6.0 mile loop in Pinnacles National Park. This is considered a difficult hike because of a few key factors. Aside from winter and the cooler shoulder months, this trail will be in extreme desert heat. With elevation gain of over 1600 feet this hike can be difficult. Additionally, there are multiple sections at the peak of the trail where you need to ascend and descend steep rock faces. Luckily there are sturdy hand rails in a variety of spots, but the footing can be tight and you may need to hunch down in certain areas. Lastly, the caves near Bear Gulch will also require ascending and descending a series of staircases through tight openings. With moisture in the caves it can also be slippery. That being said, these challenges make this hike an incredibly rewarding experience. In the colder seasons, this trail gets very popular on weekends so plan ahead. We did this hike in 2.5 hours with lots of quick stops for pictures. Dogs cannot hike this trail since it’s in a national park.
Details:
Directions (Google Maps): To get to the Condor Gulch to High Peaks Trail, search for the Condor Gulch Trail in Pinnacles National Park, CA or click here.
Directions (old school maps): This hike is accessed from the east side of the park, located between Highway 101 and Highway 5. Coming south from San Jose, take Highway 101 to Highway 25 just after you pass through Gilroy, and then it’s roughly 40 miles until you break right at the National Park. Follow the road until it ends and you’ll park at the trailhead.
Driving Info: The drive south from San Jose is a gorgeous winding road through mountainous farmland. Be careful for animals on the road and pay attention to the twists and turns. Cell reception will be spotty.
Time & Weather: We did this hike in the middle of February when the temperatures never exceeded 60 degrees. Outside of winter this hike will be extremely hot so plan accordingly.
Gear: You’ll need your hands to grip the hand rails on this hike, so you may want to bring gloves in the winter. The rails will be ice cold but you’ll need to grip them for balance. Bring a flashlight to illuminate the dark caves. Hiking poles are always helpful for the steep ascents and descents, but you’ll need to hang on to them during the rail sections. Most of this trail is exposed so bring hats, sunglasses and wear sunscreen when necessary.
Trail Navigation: This trail is easy to follow, although there are a few junctions so bringing an offline map will be useful. Most of the trails in the park are connected to one another so it can be confusing, but it also allows for the freedom to extend your hike in a variety of ways.
Water & Food: Especially outside of winter months, bring plenty of water since this park gets extreme heat. Bring some snacks as well, since there are a variety of viewpoints to enjoy. There is a visitor center with amenities and snacks in the park, but otherwise it’s fairly isolated so plan ahead.
Trailhead Info: There is a decent sized parking lot at this trailhead but it’s used for a variety of hikes. It gets very crowded in colder months on the weekends.
Pictures of the Condor Gulch to High Peaks Trail:
We started this trail counter-clockwise which is our recommendation because you ascend the steep incline right away to warm up. Even though it’s exhausting you have incredible canyon and mountain views the entire way.
Looking off to your right you can see nothing but rolling green mountains.
As you get closer to the top you’ll start to become dwarfed by the massive rocky peaks.
Stunning rocky ridge lines across the way. With the sun out you get incredible shadows.
The picturesque meandering trail cutting in and out of the jagged peaks. Up above keep your eyes peeled for the magnificent California Condor.
Hugging the mountainside with panoramic views below.
More of the unique volcanic formations with expansive views all around.
Here’s an example of the steep rock ladders you’ll have to ascend this direction. The hand rails are sturdy but cold in the winter so make sure to keep your grip.
A small bridge where you’re required to lean into the rail to avoid bumping your head on the dry rocks above.
As you traverse the ridge line you’ll eventually descend and begin to wrap back around the mountain towards Bear Gulch. In the winter and spring months the surrounding mountains are covered in lush green vegetation.
Descend down towards Bear Gulch and you’ll also encounter the Bear Gulch Reservoir, a nice desert oasis that’s helping to revive the endangered California Red-legged Frog.
Just below the reservoir, you’ll descend a staircase into the caves. This is looking back up at the wall of the reservoir where water flows down and into the depths of the cave.
Lots of staircase cutting in and out of the narrow cave openings. Watch your head and use a flashlight.
Some areas can get flooded and stay wet. Hiking poles can help keep your balance atop the larger rocks as you cross.
Amazing boulders squeezing into the depths of the caves.
Light shoots in from the cracks in the rocks above.
Once you get out of the caves, you’ll then take the Rim Trail back to the parking lot. This area of the trail is often times much more crowded since it’s flat and leads the other direction to the caves and reservoir.
