Distance

4.6 mi to summit

8.7 mi total

Elevation

1,294 ft start

3,294 ft max

Vertical

2,250 ft gain

Time

2 hr 56 min to summit

4 hr 43 min total

Had a fun weekend camping at Pinnacles National Park, despite less than ideal weather. The first night it rained all night, but when we got to the trailhead at about 9:00am, the parking lot (which is very small) was practically empty. Even better, the hike through the Bear Gulch Caves (about 1/2 mile into the hike) was very enjoyable as almost nobody else was around. The hike the remaining 3.5 miles to the summit was a pretty strong work-out, almost a constant grade, but nothing too steep. The low clouds left about the time we got to the summit so there were at least some views of the region. The hike back passed quite a few people, and back through the Bear Gulch Caves, it was extremely crowded (so thanks to the early morning rain gods for keeping the people away that morning!).

Route name

Bear Gulch to Chalone Peak Trail

out-and-back
Obstacles

no info yet

Key gear

no info yet