Pinnacles National Park

 

Pinnacles National Park was already designated as a National Monument by Teddy Roosevelt, but it had to wait a long time to get promoted to National Park - by Obama in 2013. I hadn't been there and was still on the theme "...before it gets too hot" and now it was already late April. Windshield added for the highway stretch, planning to take I-5 north, then cross through the Los Padres National Forest to Paso Robles.

Getting ready, not too hot in SM

and way too hot in the Central Valley, but the cow was mesmerized by the motorcycle

Temperatures were miserably hot as soon as I got over Tejon Pass and the next morning I went very early into the Park because I wanted to hike. I may have been the first person in the park that day.

A bit of shade on the dirt roads in Los Padres

Early in the morning in Pinnacles

Substantial climb, good to do while it is cool

The park is tiny! I started from the west entrance, hiked over the high area to the east and then back on the other side. And was back by 11 in the morning (hot by then - also a full parking lot).  All quite pleasant, but nothing more spectacular than a hike in the Santa Monica mountains (like Boney Mountain). 

Pinnacles NP