When Winter Storms Change Plans: Exploring Pinnacles National Park

They say the best-laid plans often go awry…and this month, winter storms thwarted our planned Sequoia National Park adventure for a loop.

Booked with plenty of time to get everything set to check off our next National Park from our list, we were excitedly counting down the days for a winter trip to see the giant Sequoias. We had already been anticipating a relatively cold trip (highs in the mid-40s, lows in the high-30s) nothing an extra gear top off at REI and XeroShoes couldn’t help with, but as the trip drew closer, temperatures began to drop and snow began to fall – a lot of it. 

Two days before we were set to hit the road three feet of snow per day, road closures and below-freezing temperatures made our planned two-night Sequoia camping trip impossible.

Going back and forth on the decision making we decided to play it safe and canceled our campsite reservations — in times like this we like to remind ourselves that while our winter gear has the below freezing temperature ratings, we prefer to camp for enjoyment and not merely for survival. 

Disappointed but determined, we pivoted. We knew we still wanted to check off a new National Park, so after some late-night research and campsite availability scouring, we stumbled upon Pinnacles National Park. The forecast? A manageable three hours of light rain on the second morning. Perfect!

With no time for extensive research, we quickly adjusted our gear, swapping snow jackets for rain shells and preparing for slightly warmer weather. Two days later, we loaded up our trusty adventure vehicle, Roxie, and set off towards California, eager to explore a new park we knew very little about.

Our drive to the park was a visual journey through California's diverse landscapes and resources. Miles of wind turbines laid out along vibrant green hills a setting we were affectionately referring to as the Scottish highlands. Vast solar fields soaking up the sun and miles of vineyards and orchards as far as the eye could see. Then there was the stark contrast of almost barren landscape as oil drilling sites pressed into the ground. It was a powerful reminder of a complex relationship with nature and as my first sight of oil fields in person, I can say that my aversion to fossil fuels versus renewable energy sources is securely solidified.

Entering Pinnacles National Park is unlike the popular Zion or Yosemite. There are no gateway towns welcoming you to the gates. Instead you get to enjoy a serene drive through vast farmlands that unroll into the green landscape that brings you to the Pinnacles campground.

The instant sense of tranquility upon arriving was a welcome pleasure. Pulling into our campground I was instantly enamored by the moss-draped trees lush vegetation that encompassed the campground. There were two downfalls of the campground. The first set back was specific to our campsite and was that the parking pad and drive way into the spot was too narrow to allow for us to set up our Skycamp Awning, while we had hoped to have it setup to avoid the light morning rain, but we figured the expected sprinkles the next morning wouldn’t be too big of an impact on making breakfast. The second downfall and probably the biggest issue with the campground in general was the lack of restroom facilities. While we had booked our spot in a loop that showed a restroom facility on the campground map, when we walked the loop we were disappointed to find that the building was no longer there and in its place were four portable restrooms in a vacant space which was filled with mud, thus we would need to walk the approximate 1500 steps to the nearest restroom building two campground loops away.

This was our first two-night camping trip in more than a year which meant we were able to spend the entire evening relaxing at our campsite. After a long drive and an even longer work week, we enjoyed a couple Mountain House meals and our traditional campsite happy hour before ducking into our tent for the night. As the evening progressed the only sounds were the gentle chorus of frogs and a number of bird chirps, a soothing lullaby in a pitch dark setting for a sound night's sleep. 

The next morning, the predicted rain arrived, except it was more than the promised mist or light sprinkle and breakfast was a two-person job under the iKamper window canopy and an umbrella — was it a testament to the resiliency of dedicated campers or a touch of unhinged madness? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Despite the rain, we ate our breakfast in the front seat of the truck, had a quick clean up of our gear, then layered on our rain shells over our clothing and backpacks and headed to the trails eager to explore the park's famed rock formations.

Hiking and Exploring Pinnacles National Park

While most hikers find a trail or two to enjoy, we have a tendency to link multiple trails together for an epic journey that inevitably leaves our legs tired and our ankles sore. This time, that meant embarking on what would result in a 10.5-mile loop hike threading together the Bench, Blue Oak, Condor Gulch, Sycamore, and a section of the High Peaks Trail. Although the rain persisted, it had slowed to a light sprinkling which made it rather enjoyable to hike in, albeit necessary for rain jackets and minimal camera use.

A mile into our hike, grazing deer blocked the trail, completely unfazed by our presence, and as we comically observed, despite it’s name the bench trail does not have any benches along it to sit and wait out the wildlife. Not only did the Bench Trail provide a couple different Mule Deer sightings, we also had a number of bird spottings including the Acorn Woodpecker, hummingbirds, Robins, hawks, the adorable Oak Titmouse and an abundance of California Quail. The easily-accessible path of the Bench Trail was a perfect warm up to hiking for the day. 

The transition up to Blue Oak Trail, provided a moderate climb, beautiful vistas of the surrounding areas and a few switchbacks as we hiked above the surrounding hillsides and nearby mountains. The variety of plant life and panoramic, untouched views of rolling green hills as far as the eye could see was truly stunning. Flowers, vines, Western Wallflower, Manroot, and my new favorite plant; Miner’s Lettuce, provided an abundance of greenery complimented by delicate splashes of color from new blooms. 

Stopping for lunch and to enjoy the scenic views at the intersection of Blue Oak Trail, High Peaks Trail and Condor Gulch Trail, we decided to extend our previously planned route and headed to the High Peaks Trail. While we had initially been unsure of whether we’d have the chance to see the famous rock formations, the High Peaks Trail wound along exposed ridge lines and led us to hike amongst the angular formations of volcanic fragments ejected around 23 million years ago. The higher we climbed the more California condors, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons we saw circling overhead. The higher climb unfortunately also included increased rain fall and stronger winds. By the time we reached the steep and narrow section a sign had warned us about, our boots we caked with mud and the rocks that lay ahead of us were slick from rain water. Seeing the toe grooves that ascended up the rock wall, we decided to turn around and proceed back to the Condor Gulch Trail for a safer decent (a decision a park employee later thanked us for making). While this little detour added an additional mile to our journey, the chance to hike under the soaring condors and seeing the turn offs for rock climbing options was a joy to see. 

The remainder of the hike down Condor Gulch Trail to the Bear Gulch Nature Center was a mild decent amongst what felt like a bit more of a desert landscape than the route up offered. Once at the bottom, we enjoyed a walk through the nature center and a brief moment to sit and rest our feet before heading along the Sycamore Trail to complete the loop portion of our hike. 

The Sycamore Trail felt like we were back in the lush forest we had started in. Multiple bridge crossings over the Chalone and Bear creeks provided a beautiful soundtrack as the small waterfalls flowed over rocks and clusters of fallen leaves. We even had a brief sighting of a mouse which caused me to do a double take to figure out what it was, since all I initially saw was its long tail moving through the leaves. 

Pinnacles National Park has proven to be one of our top wildlife viewing locations to date. Aside from the mouse sighting, throughout our stay, we had numerous encounters with curious raccoons, adorable jackrabbits, roaming deer and an astonishing variety of birds. Aside from the endangered California condors which soared overhead along the trails and in the afternoons at the campground, the park is home to over 180 species of birds and 14 species of bats, making it a bird watchers dream.

Wrapping Up Our Trip

Making our way back to the campground, my heels were sore, my legs tired and my mind fully enamored by the beauty that had surrounded us the entire day. What made our 10+ miles of hiking even more beautiful was the solitude; for most of the seven hours we had spent hiking, we had the trails to ourselves—a luxury we've come to cherish during our winter camping trips. 

Making a pit stop at the campground store for a snack and a moment to sit under the covered porch, I asked an employee if the rain was expected to break for the evening, longer than the 10 minute increments it had been making sparsely throughout the day. He let me know there was a 30% chance it would return in a half an hour as light rain for an hour…with that, we made our way back to the campground to cook an early dinner while the conditions were somewhat dry. As we poured boiling water into our freeze-dried meals, the rain returned…and continued for the rest of the night. 

Thankful for the brief window of opportunity to prepare dinner, we retreated to the front seat of Roxie once more to stay dry and enjoy our St. Patrick’s Day meal to the steady rhythm of rain. 

With some bundled up walks around the campground, raccoon spottings and final moments taking in the peaceful surroundings, the symphony of nature resumed. The chorus of frogs, the gentle patter of rainfall, the comical calls of wild turkeys and the occasional hoot of an owl — it was a soundtrack I could listen to every night. 

While this wasn’t the Sequoia trip we had initially planned, our detoured trip to enjoy exploring Pinnacles National Park was an adventure I am still in awe of. Despite being disappointed to miss Sequoia in the snow, exploring Pinnacles National Park offered a unique magic and reinforced the importance of flexibility, embracing the unexpected, and knowing that when plans go awry there’s always another extraordinary something waiting to be discovered.

Now, on to plan the next adventure...