Wild Flowers
Pinnacles National Monument, California
Wildflowers
Pinnacles National Monument is the
spectacular remains of an ancient
volcano. It rises out of the Gabilan
Mountains, east of central California's
Salinas Valley, south of the
Bay Area. From Oakland to the west
entrance of the Pinnacles is 131 miles
or 2 hours and 15 minutes drive. And it
sure is worth the drive. Millions of
years of erosion, faulting, and tectonic
plate movement has carved massive rock
monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons,
and dark cavernous passages. The place
is magnificent with hiking trails to
suit every kind of hiker from the
serious to just a stroller.
Massive rock monoliths
This time of year is the time to
visit as the wildflowers are out in
their full glory. And of course there
are the condors. The area has been a
part of the California Condor Recovery
Program since 2003. There are some 26
condors in the park today. These
magnificent birds almost went extinct
and their recovery shows we are not only
destroyers, but restorers as well. The
condors are still not home-safe yet so
biologists ensure that they choose safe
roosting sites, find feeding areas, and
stay away from hazards such as
lead-contaminated food and power poles.
I spotted two condors on my visit.
Wildflowers
I flew my airplane from Oakland
Airport to Salinas Airport, which is a
40 minute flight. Then I picked up a
rental car and drove the half hour to
the west entrance of the Pinnacles
National Monument via the sleepy little
town of Soledad. From here I took SR-146
to the park. I hiked the Juniper Canyon
loop trail. This is an 8.5 mile loop
that climbs 1,500 feet into the stunning
beauty of the granite monoliths. It is
like walking through a humongous
sculpture garden trimmed with the
yellows, whites, blues, and purples of
wildflowers. If you have not visited
this wonderful place you are really
missing a life opportunity.
See the video