Amid the rolling russet hills of the Cienega Valley of Central California,
a gaping wound slices through the landscape—a gash amid the mountain tops, a scar across the countryside—as if the earth itself were cleft in two by the mighty stroke of a Norse god’s battle ax. It is now known as the San Andreas Fault—though I suspect that Saint Andrew, the apostle, would deny all responsibility.
In one particular place, the fault cuts across an ancient volcanic field. It lifted a portion of the Neenach Volcano and transported it almost 200 miles to the north. The rift in the mountains, along with long ages of erosion, exposed the andesite and rhyolite monoliths that now stand as silent sentinels, watching over the valley below.
Today, as you walk through the riparian forests that weave like a ribbon beside the dry, seasonal riverbed along the valley floor, quail scurry through the underbrush and the chorus of songbirds fills the air. Life teems in this oasis, where willows and elderberry trees provide an abundance of shade.
Through breaks in the trees, you catch fleeting glimpses of the towering rock pinnacles from which the park gets its name.
When you turn upward and begin the arduous climb from the valley to the peaks, the vegetation starts to thin, and the deciduous trees along the creek beds give way to greasewoods, oaks, and pines, dotted in patches over the slopes.
Lizards scuttle across your path, and the music of the songbirds fades into the distance, to be replaced by the screech of falcons gliding on unseen currents of wind high above.
As you continue to ascend, the vistas become more and more spectacular.
Great stone pillars jut up in the foreground of endless waves of hills and valleys that disappear into the distance like a swelling sea.
At the very top of the highest peak, the whole extent of the scar is laid bare before your eyes.
The rocky spires jut up from the hillsides like castles and fortresses of stone—defensive bastions erected by ancient peoples to guard the passage through the mountains.
Soaring above it all, condors rule the skies—those mythic creatures of legend and lore that inspire songs and sagas about the origins of the Wiyot Indian people.
The Pinnacles is a magical place of natural beauty and ancient mystery. Born of volcanos and geological faults, time has shaped it to be a region of magnificent vistas, mystical creatures, and mythic folklore that you will surely want to experience for yourself.
Quick Summary
Site: Pinnacles National Park
Location: Central California, between Soledad and San Benito
Cool Factor (1-5): 2.5-3.0 (Better if you hike up to the top on the Highline Trail
Web Links
Website: www.nps.gov/pinn/index.htm/
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinnacles_National_Park
Soledad (Gateway Town to the West): cityofsoledad.com