Pinnacles

  • Finding Light in Pinnacles National Park

    Some landscapes become part of our imagination through the surprise of their existence. Pinnacles National Park sits about 80 miles south of San Jose in the Gabilan Mountains of central California, and most people who have driven Highway 101 through the Salinas Valley have passed within 30 miles of it without knowing it was there. It became a national park in 2013, elevated from national monument status, and it remains one of the least visited parks in California despite being within day trip distance of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.