Pinnacles National Park is an American national park protecting a mountainous area located east of the Salinas Valley in Central California, about five miles east of Soledad and 80 miles southeast of San Jose.
Some 23 million years ago multiple volcanoes erupted, flowed, and slid to form what would become Pinnacles National Park. What remains is a unique landscape. Travelers journey through chaparral, oak woodlands, and canyon bottoms. Hikers enter rare talus caves and emerge to towering rock spires teeming with life: prairie and peregrine falcons, golden eagles, and the inspiring California condor.
Located east of the Salinas Valley between Hollister and King City, Pinnacles National Park is California’s newest national park. The site of an ancient volcanic eruption, the area is covered with spire like formations that were created after the extruded magma was sculpted by the elements over time. And although a large chunk of the park is in the remote backcountry, there are also a few accessible trails and wildlife viewing opportunities near the main visitor services. And if you want to spend the night but don’t fancy pitching a tent, then check out one of the accessible tent cabins that were added in September 2020.
Located on the east side of Pinnacles National Park, Pinnacles Campground is operated by Pinnacles Recreation Company. And when this National Park Service (NPS) concessionaire added 10 tent cabins they opted to make them all wheelchair-accessible — a very inclusive move. This is in keeping with the NPS call for improved accessibility throughout all their parks.
Six of the tent cabins (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28) are located in Loop B, while the remaining four (80, 81, 107, 108) are located closer to the visitor center and store, in Loop D. The canvas tents are set atop wooden platforms, and they all have ramp access up to the front porch, wide doorways and level thresholds. They are each furnished with two twin beds and a queen-sized bed, with ample room to maneuver a wheelchair inside.
Outside there are two Adirondack chairs, an accessible picnic table, a grill and a bear box at each site. The tent cabins also have windows with curtains, and a level spot to park an accessible vehicle outside. And although they contain beds with mattresses, guests must provide their own bedding.
Currently there are no accessible showers in the campground, but the NPS has plans to add some near loop D. And although the restrooms all have one step up, there’s currently an accessible porta-potty about 500 feet from the Loop D units.
All in all, these accessible tent cabins provide a comfortable and accessible way to spend the night in a park known for its dark night skies.
Pinnacles National Park is also a prime spot to get a gander at some of the still endangered California condors. Although condor spotting depends entirely on the birds, you can do a few things to up your odds of catching a glimpse of them.
One location they seem to favor is the ridge just southeast of the campground. The best times to look for them are in the early mornings and late afternoons when they like to catch the thermals, or in the evenings when they come in to roost in the trees. They’re hard to miss as they have a nine-foot wingspan, and they all sport prominent studbook number tags. You can even make note of the tag number and color and then check the Pinnacles National Park website to read about the bird’s history.
Although the birds can be easily spotted from the campground, if you don’t spend the night, there is an accessible viewing spot near the East Pinnacles Visitor Center. From the accessible parking spot it’s just a short level 475-foot walk across the street to the viewing scopes. There’s also a level dirt parking area next to the scopes, but it’s not striped. There’s a wheelchair-accessible scope next to a standard scope, and plenty of space to maneuver a wheelchair in the viewing area. Even if you’re not there in prime time, give it a shot. You never know what you’ll spot.
And of course if you spend the night in one of the tent cabins, go outside and look up in the late afternoons. They really are magnificent creatures, and it’s a thrill to see them glide above the trees
Last but not least, save some time for a few hikes while you’re at Pinnacles National Park. Located on the West Side, the Prewitt Point Trail is the longest accessible trail in the park. This one-mile loop begins off the patio of the West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station and winds along the hillside and offers excellent mountain views. There’s about a 70-foot elevation gain along the trail, with level spots to rest after each uphill stint.
This hard-packed dirt trail passes the trailhead to the Jawbone Trail, then continues on to Pinnacles Overlook. After that it winds back through the shady side of the mountain to the visitor center. Interpretive plaques and benches are located along the way, but it’s best to take the trail in the morning, as there’s no shade along the bulk of the trail.
Over on the east side of the park, a short section of the Bench Trail also features some recent access upgrades. The best place to access this section is from the Peaks View Picnic Area. There’s no designated accessible parking in the lot, but there’s plenty of room to park an adapted vehicle next to the accessible porta-potty.
The hard-packed dirt trail begins on the far side of the picnic area and travels through the woods for about a half-mile past the trailhead for the South Wilderness Trail. The access ends a short way from there, but it’s a nice half-mile round trip. Although the trail isn’t completely level, they did a nice job adding some switchbacks, which makes the grade changes doable. The switchback sections are located near the beginning of the trail, and after that it’s a mostly level hike. It’s a nice ramble through the oak and sycamore forest, with spotty shade from the surrounding trees.
