#173: Pinnacles National Park: Caves, Condors, and the High Peaks

We recently returned to Pinnacles National Park, a place we hadn’t visited since our first trip in 2013. Situated about 75 minutes south of Monterey, California, Pinnacles is known for its dramatic volcanic rock formations, remnants of a once 8,000-foot volcano.

When we first visited, Pinnacles had just become a national park, and we stopped there as part of our journey to visit all the U.S. national parks. This time, we had a different reason to return. Karen wanted to explore one of the park’s talus caves.

In this episode, we discuss our visit to the park, where we hiked into the lower portion of Bear Gulch Cave, then to Bear Gulch Reservoir, and finally into the high peaks.

We also dive into the park’s fascinating geology, its history as a national monument established by Theodore Roosevelt, and the role of the Civilian Conservation Corps in building many of the trails and structures still used today.

And of course, no visit to Pinnacles would be complete without talking about California condors. Pinnacles is the only national park that actively manages a condor release site, and we explain how these remarkable birds were brought back from the brink of extinction.

If you’re planning a visit to Pinnacles, this episode is for you, as we also share practical tips to help you make the most of your time in the park.

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