Pinnacles National Park

Oct 5th, 2025 

I woke up around 7 a.m. in Coalinga after a great night of sleep. It was extremely quiet, which was exactly what I needed.

Coalinga is an inland town in California, located about 70–100 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern part of Fresno County near the Coastal Mountain Range, and about two hours from the coastal city of Monterey.

Breakfast was provided by the hotel. Hotel breakfasts in the U.S. are nothing like European or Middle Eastern breakfast; no yogurt, no cheese, just very basic options.

Since I was only an hour and ten minutes from the park, I decided to take the morning easy. I did my laundry and spent some time sunbathing while making phone calls to my family. The smell, weather, sunlight, and plants in this part of California reminded me of Arizona, and Arizona always reminds me of the Middle East. It brought back memories of my blog entry from White Sands National Park (May 28th, 2025).

Around 9 a.m., I finished my laundry, checked out, drove through town, stopped for gas, and headed toward Pinnacles National Park.

The drive from Coalinga to the park was beautiful, with endless rolling hills and mountains that are part of the Diablo Range. The sky was bright and cloudless, and the weather was hot and dry. Hills were covered in extremely dry grass and vegetation. This level of dryness has always felt special to me, as it reminds me of Mediterranean climates. Along the way, I saw small rural homes scattered across the landscape. The road was mostly empty, and I enjoyed the music while recording some nice videos.

I arrived at the Pinnacles National Park entrance sign at 10:24 a.m

Pinnacles National Park is a landscape of craggy volcanic rock formations, canyons, and talus caves located in the Gabilan Mountains of central California. It is well known for hiking, rock climbing, and as a release site for the endangered California condor. The park is divided into east and west sections. Popular trails and attractions include Balconies Cave Loop, Condor Gulch to High Peaks Loop, Bear Gulch Cave, and Chalone Peak Trail.

While refilling my water bottle, I met some visitors and helped them take a group photo. There were very few visitors in the park, and the weather felt like mid-summer, very hot, with not a cloud in sight.

On this trip so far, I have seen forests, mountains, snowstorms, giant trees, and experienced many different climates. I think desert heat is my favorite; it touches my soul the most.

There were many hiking options, but my goal was simply to start a trail and see where it would take me. I began my hike at the Bear Gulch Nature Center, took the Condor Gulch Trail, and continued to the High Peaks Trail.

I deeply enjoyed this midday hike through the wilderness. I met several hikers along the way, most notably a 69-year-old woman from Arkansas who had visited all U.S. national parks except one (Virgin Islands). Her husband stayed in the parking lot, but she decided to attempt the hike. We talked for a bit, then she asked me to take a photo of her with the amazing overlook before she started hiking down.

Hiking through this landscape was very special. The towering, weather-sculpted rocks rose like ancient monuments, giving the place a sense of timelessness. With the bright blue sky stretching overhead, the trails felt wide open and full of possibility. As I moved between massive boulders, narrow ridges, and sun-baked slopes dotted with hardy trees, a quiet sense of awe settled in a mix of adventure, solitude, and appreciation for the raw beauty of the earth.

After about two hours of hiking, I took the Rim Trail to Monolith Reservoir. Walking through these rocks felt like moving through a giant outdoor sculpture garden shaped by ancient volcanoes and millions of years of erosion. The rocks were huge, rounded, and looked almost soft, even though they were solid stones. They clustered together in tall spires, domes, and cliffs that looked both rough and smooth at the same time. Their warm reddish-brown color glowed in the sunlight, sometimes looking like towers, guardians, or abstract shapes from different angles. This park is also a famous destination for rock climbers of all levels. Some trails were marked for rock climbers with special instructions. Rock climbing is something I need to get into. 

I took a break by the reservoir and then followed the Moses Spring Trail back to the parking lot. By 2:45 p.m., I had hiked 7.84 miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes. By then, the parking lot had many more visitors preparing for their hikes.

One of the most fascinating things I saw for the first time was the acorn woodpecker, which drills hundreds, sometimes thousands, of small, evenly spaced holes in trees to store acorns for future food. Each hole holds exactly one acorn, and they fiercely defend these “granary trees” from other animals. Mind-blowing!!

Since I had seen most of the park, I decided this would be my last hike of the day. I drove toward the park exit, stopped at a water fountain, changed my clothes, and washed my face.

My next destination was Island Packers Cruises in Ventura, where I would be taking a ferry to Channel Islands National Park. The drive was almost four hours.

I took Highway 101 and drove through countless cities and towns. Unlike most of the remote drives I’d had so far, this highway was busy the entire way.

I took a break at Cachuma Lake Vista Point; magical and beautiful, truly stunning.

By 6:30 p.m., around sunset, I arrived in Santa Barbara. The drive through the California hills was incredible: sunset, ocean views, the moon rising, and the beauty of the rolling landscape.

After a long day, I decided to book an Airbnb and spend the night in Santa Barbara. I found a place just a few minutes’ walk from East Beach, but it took me almost 20 minutes to find it because I missed turns repeatedly. The area was very populated, with lots of stores, restaurants, and heavy traffic,  more proof that I am not a city person.

After settling in, I went out to get some food. One of the restaurants I chose was about 20  minutes away on foot. I tried to rent an electric bike, but the app didn’t work. There was an unlocked bike that worked fine, so I decided to use it.

I had a beer and food at Finney’s Crafthouse, then biked back to the Airbnb on the same bike. It was a beautiful night with moonlight, the beach, and so much life everywhere; everyone was out enjoying a sip of life.