Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park | |
---|---|
![]() Rock formations at Pinnacles National Park | |
Location | San Benito County & Monterey County, California, United States |
Nearest city | Soledad, California |
Coordinates | 36°29′13″N 121°10′01″W / 36.48694°N 121.16694°W |
Area | 26,606 acres (107.67 km2)[1] |
Established | January 16, 1908 January 10, 2013 as a national park | as a national monument
Visitors | 275,023 (in 2022)[2] |
Governing body | National Park Service |
Website | nps |
Pinnacles National Park is an American national park protecting a mountainous area located east of the Salinas Valley in Central California, about five miles (8 km) east of Soledad and 80 miles (130 km) southeast of San Jose. The park's namesakes are the eroded leftovers of the western half of an extinct volcano that has moved 200 miles (320 km) from its original location on the San Andreas Fault, embedded in a portion of the California Pacific Coast Ranges. Pinnacles is managed by the National Park Service and the majority of the park is protected as wilderness.
The national park is divided by the rock formations into East and West Divisions, connected only by foot trails. The east side has shade and water, while the west has high walls. The rock formations provide for spectacular pinnacles that attract rock climbers. The park features unusual talus caves that house at least 13 species of bats. Pinnacles is most often visited in spring or fall because of the intense heat during the summer. Park lands are prime habitat for prairie falcons and are a release site for California condors that have been hatched in captivity.
Pinnacles was originally established as a national monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, and was redesignated as a national park in 2013.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/NPS_pinnacles-map.jpg/290px-NPS_pinnacles-map.jpg)
Native Americans in the Pinnacles region comprised the Chalon and Mutsun groups of the
By the 1880s the Pinnacles, then known as the Palisades, were visited by picnickers from the surrounding communities who would explore the caves and camp.[5] The first account of the Pinnacles region appeared in print in 1881, describing the Balconies area.[6] Between 1889 and 1891, newspaper articles shifted from describing excursions to the "Palisades" to calling them the "Pinnacles".[7] Interest in the area rose to the point that the Hollister Free Lance sent a reporter to the Pinnacles, followed two months later by a party of local officials.[8] Investors came from San Francisco to consider placing a resort hotel there, but the speculation came to nothing. In 1894, a post office was established in Bear Valley. Schuyler Hain was the postmaster. Since at least one other Bear Valley was in California, the post office was named "Cook" after Hain's wife's maiden name.[9] In 1924, the post office was renamed "Pinnacles".
Hain was a homesteader who arrived in the Pinnacles area in 1891 from Michigan, following his parents and eight siblings to Bear Valley.
In his efforts to promote the Pinnacles, Hain became convinced that the Pinnacles were an "extraordinary mountain" described by Captain George Vancouver and pictured by John Sykes in his book Voyage of Discovery, which documented the Vancouver Expedition. Hain began to refer to the mountain as "Vancouver's Pinnacles", a term that was picked up by Sunset in a 1903 article. References to "Vancouver's Pinnacles" persisted until 1955, when analysis of the Sykes picture indicated that the mountain described by Vancouver was actually located near Fort Ord, within easy reach of the day trip described by Vancouver.[15]
National monument
First set aside as part of the Pinnacles Forest Reserve in 1906, Pinnacles has had several different federal management agencies, ranging from the U.S. Forest Service to the United States General Land Office and ultimately to the National Park Service. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt created Pinnacles National Monument with the power given him in the Antiquities Act of 1906. The initial area designated under the Antiquities Act was 2,080 acres (840 ha). The Forest Service relinquished control of the monument circa 1911, but no operating agency yet existed to receive it.[14] No drivable roads existed into the park from communities like Hollister. Hollister boosters campaigned for federal funds for road-building. Congressman Everis A. Hayes made a trip into the Pinnacles in 1913 as part of the campaign for road funds. By 1914, primitive roads extended to Bear Valley.[16]
The National Park Service was finally established in 1916, but Pinnacles was not considered significant enough to command any Park Service resources at that time.[17] In the meantime, a mining claim disrupted access to the traditional picnic grounds. In 1922, following repeated pleas from local residents for Park Service action, W.B. Lewis, superintendent of Yosemite National Park, was directed to visit Pinnacles and report on the circumstances to Park Service director Stephen Mather. Lewis had a difficult trip and stayed only 45 minutes, and his report included a recommendation that the monument be abandoned, since the most scenic sections were in private hands.[18] The General Land Office, which administered lands surrounding the national monument and what was then known as Monterey National Forest, also received complaints, and in December 1922, J.H. Favorite of the GLO made a thorough report which was copied to Mather. Favorite recommended that public-domain lands be consolidated into the monument, and that a caretaker be appointed from a local homestead. In 1923, Herman Hermansen was appointed caretaker, and on May 7, 1923, the monument was enlarged by proclamation of President Warren G. Harding.[19]
Mather finally visited the monument on March 28, 1924.[20] A further proclamation, this time by Calvin Coolidge, enlarged the monument on July 2, 1924, securing water sources and campsites,[21] was followed by a directive for a complete survey of the now-2,973-acre (1,203 ha) monument.[22] Following a visit by NPS assistant director Horace M. Albright, money was appropriated to build a ranger's cabin,[23] completed in 1929,[24] while facilities within the caves were improved. Frank A. Kittredge, the Park Service chief of engineering, and Thomas Chalmers Vint, Park Service landscape architect, conducted a survey for a five-year improvement plan in 1927.[25] In 1929, condemnation proceedings were filed against private landowners in and around the park, including the mining company, seeking 1,286.27 acres (520.54 ha). An expansion proclamation by President Herbert Hoover in 1931 added 1,926.35 acres (779.57 ha) of land donated by San Benito County.[26] Trail building was expanded in the early 1930s, including a tunnel for the High Peaks Trail.[27]
In 1933, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was established for about 200 men who worked on additions to the trail network.[28][29] After lengthy legal proceedings, the old mining claims were incorporated into the monument in 1958.[30] CCC laborers improved the road in Bear Gulch, built tourist cabins,[31] and constructed the dam at the Bear Gulch reservoir.[32] A fire lookout was built by the CCC on Chalone Peak in 1935, but was destroyed by fire in 1951 and replaced by a frame structure the following year. The park's visitor center and headquarters were built in 1936–37 from local stone. A superintendent's residence was started in 1941 and completed in 1949.[33] The Mission 66 project added lands and new projects, with an emphasis on development of the previously undeveloped west side of the park.[28][34]
In 1975, the park comprised 16,721 acres (6,767 ha), growing to the present 26,606 acres (10,767 ha) through a series of additions including the 2,000-acre (810 ha) Pinnacles Ranch.[35] The most recent addition to the Pinnacles National Monument was president Bill Clinton's Proclamation 7266 that increased the size of the monument by 7,900 acres (32 km2) and to include more caves.[36]
National park status
Legislation authored by Rep. Sam Farr (D-California)[37] to make Pinnacles National Monument a national park passed the United States Senate on December 30, 2012, having passed the House on July 31, 2012. The bill also designates the present Pinnacles Wilderness as the Hain Wilderness in commemoration of Schuyler Hain's efforts to establish the national monument.[37][38] The legislation was signed by President Barack Obama on January 10, 2013. The change in designation did not change the park's status, management, or purpose. The U.S. Congress specified in the 1970 General Authorities Act[39] and the 1978 Redwood Act[40] that all units of the National Park System are to be treated on equal status, regardless of title.[41] Pinnacles is the ninth unit in the National Park System in California to be named a national park.[42]
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Entrance_to_Balconies_Cave_at_Pinnacles_National_Park.jpg/170px-Entrance_to_Balconies_Cave_at_Pinnacles_National_Park.jpg)
Pinnacles National Park lies about 40 miles (64 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean and about 45 miles (72 km) south of the San Francisco Bay Area. The park is in the southern portion of the Gabilan Range, part of California's Coast Ranges.
Elevation within the boundaries range from 824 to 3,304 feet (251 to 1,007 m) at the peak of North Chalone Peak.
Climate
According to the
The
The National Weather Service has a cooperative weather station at the park headquarters. January temperatures are a maximum of 62.6 °F (17.0 °C) and a minimum of 34.0 °F (1.1 °C). July temperatures are a maximum of 95.9 °F (35.5 °C) and a minimum of 50.4 °F (10.2 °C). The record high temperature of 116 °F (47 °C) was reached three times, most recently on September 7, 2020. The record low temperature was 10 °F (−12 °C) on January 2, 1960 and December 22 and 24, 1990. Average annual precipitation is 16.57 inches (421 mm). The wettest calendar year was 1983 with 35.80 inches (909 mm) and the driest 2013 with 2.70 inches (69 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 11.86 inches (301 mm) in February 1998. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 4.74 inches (120 mm) on February 3, 1998. The most snowfall in one month was 7.0 inches (18 cm) in January 1962.
Climate data for Pinnacles National Monument, California (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1937–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 87 (31) |
86 (30) |
93 (34) |
100 (38) |
106 (41) |
112 (44) |
116 (47) |
115 (46) |
116 (47) |
116 (47) |
94 (34) |
90 (32) |
116 (47) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.9 (24.4) |
77.6 (25.3) |
82.4 (28.0) |
89.8 (32.1) |
95.9 (35.5) |
103.9 (39.9) |
106.5 (41.4) |
107.1 (41.7) |
104.7 (40.4) |
97.9 (36.6) |
86.7 (30.4) |
75.0 (23.9) |
109.5 (43.1) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 62.6 (17.0) |
63.7 (17.6) |
67.5 (19.7) |
72.3 (22.4) |
80.0 (26.7) |
88.8 (31.6) |
95.9 (35.5) |
95.8 (35.4) |
91.7 (33.2) |
82.5 (28.1) |
70.4 (21.3) |
62.0 (16.7) |
77.8 (25.4) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 48.3 (9.1) |
49.6 (9.8) |
52.6 (11.4) |
55.8 (13.2) |
61.5 (16.4) |
67.7 (19.8) |
73.2 (22.9) |
73.0 (22.8) |
69.9 (21.1) |
62.6 (17.0) |
53.5 (11.9) |
47.7 (8.7) |
59.6 (15.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.0 (1.1) |
35.6 (2.0) |
37.7 (3.2) |
39.4 (4.1) |
43.1 (6.2) |
46.6 (8.1) |
50.4 (10.2) |
50.3 (10.2) |
48.1 (8.9) |
42.7 (5.9) |
36.7 (2.6) |
33.4 (0.8) |
41.5 (5.3) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 23.2 (−4.9) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
33.1 (0.6) |
35.9 (2.2) |
39.0 (3.9) |
39.8 (4.3) |
37.9 (3.3) |
32.2 (0.1) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
19.8 (−6.8) |
Record low °F (°C) | 10 (−12) |
17 (−8) |
16 (−9) |
18 (−8) |
22 (−6) |
24 (−4) |
30 (−1) |
28 (−2) |
29 (−2) |
24 (−4) |
15 (−9) |
10 (−12) |
10 (−12) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.46 (88) |
3.45 (88) |
2.80 (71) |
0.96 (24) |
0.57 (14) |
0.13 (3.3) |
0.04 (1.0) |
0.02 (0.51) |
0.06 (1.5) |
0.73 (19) |
1.27 (32) |
3.08 (78) |
16.57 (421) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.2 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 5.7 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 7.2 | 12.0 | 66.5 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
Source: NOAA[44][45] |
Geology
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/US_Pinnacles_National_Park_Marker_for_Peak_View.jpg/220px-US_Pinnacles_National_Park_Marker_for_Peak_View.jpg)
The park is located near the
Large-scale earth movement also formed the talus caves that can be found in the park. Deep, narrow gorges and shear fractures were transformed into caves by large chunks of rock falling from above and wedging into the cracks, leaving an open area below.[46]
Since the Pinnacles were moved to this area, the San Andreas fault has shifted four miles (6.4 km) to the east of the park. The original location of the San Andreas can be seen in the Chalone Creek fault. Two other large faults are known to run through the park, the Miner's Gulch and Pinnacles faults. These faults parallel the San Andreas and were most likely caused by major movements of the main fault.[46] The establishment of the relative movement between the Pinnacles and the Neenach rocks was a significant factor in the acceptance of plate tectonics in geology.[47]
Seismic activity is frequent in the park, and United States Geological Survey maintains two seismometers within the boundaries. Evidence of past and ongoing seismic activity can be seen in offset streams where they cross faults. Valley bottoms and terraces show signs of uplift.[46]
Ecology
Wildlife
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Condor_18_at_Pinnacles_014_%2819131865633%29.jpg/220px-Condor_18_at_Pinnacles_014_%2819131865633%29.jpg)
Native animals, now
Prairie falcons breed in this area in some of the highest densities of anywhere in North America. Peregrine falcons have recently returned to the park to breed, also, but in far fewer numbers. A California condor re-establishment program has been in place since 2003. The first nest since reintroduction was built in 2010, and Pinnacles now manages a population of 25 free-flying condor.[51][52][53][54]
Thirteen species of bats have been documented at Pinnacles, with a further three species considered likely. The talus caves provide roosting and breeding habitat for the bats.[55]
In the 1990s, a student biologist, Olivia Messinger, did a census of bees at Pinnacles. She found that the park has more bees per unit area than known anywhere else on earth, around 400 species. Most of these bees are solitary bees, not living in colonies like European honeybees, and most live for only three to four weeks, and since flowers bloom here throughout the growing season, many niches are available for all the bee species.[56]
Like many parks in central California, Pinnacles has had a problem with wild
Vegetation
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Pinus_sabiniana_Pinnacles_NM_2.jpg/220px-Pinus_sabiniana_Pinnacles_NM_2.jpg)
According to the
In the warmer portions of the park, large areas of
Hain Wilderness
More than 80% (15,985 acres or 6,469 hectares) of the park is designated as the Hain Wilderness (known until 2013 as the Pinnacles Wilderness). Wilderness designation provides even higher protection for the rock spires that give Pinnacles its name, as well as South Chalone Peak, the second-highest peak in the park. The wilderness includes the creeks and canyons that are habitat for the endangered California red-legged frog.[60] The United States Congress in 1976 enacted Public Law 94-567, adding Pinnacles Wilderness and several others to the National Wilderness Preservation System.[61]
Activities
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Step_by_Step.jpg/170px-Step_by_Step.jpg)
Although roads approach the park from the west through Soledad and from the east through empty lands south of Hollister, the roads do not connect in the park. Most of the developed areas are on the east side of the park.[62] Portions of the park's road network are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Several trails have been developed for day hikers, some of which are strenuous. Primarily in March and April, a wide variety of wildflowers is on display, except in years of extreme drought. The trails provide views of the surrounding hills and valleys on clear days. The San Andreas Fault is visible from some vantages along the trails. The park includes a well-known hiking portion known among enthusiasts simply as "The Pig Fence". This portion of South Wilderness Trail is a challenging stretch of strenuous hiking that at times requires use of the fence, erected to prevent feral pigs from entering the park, to help oneself to climb the steeply pitched trail. Other trails include lush wildflower-accented views along flat stream beds, trails that bring one into beautiful caves, and trails that involve high vistas of the Pinnacle formations.
The caves at Pinnacles are talus caves, formed when steep, narrow canyons were filled with boulders, leaving passages between the larger rocks.[63] Bear Gulch Cave on the east side of the park and Balconies Cave on the west side are seasonally open to visitors. Trails lead to and through both caves.[64][65] These caves house breeding colonies for Townsend's big-eared bat and are closed during pupping season. The caves may be flooded at times of high water. The National Park Service maintains a webpage showing the status of the caves.[66]
Camping facilities are available on the east side in the Pinnacles Campground.[67]
The park is popular with advanced rock climbers because of the many difficult and challenging climbs.[68] The park is home to a variety of bouldering, single-pitch, and multi-pitch routes. Rock quality, volcanic breccia, can break while climbing.[69][70]
See also
- State Route 146
- State Route 25
- List of national parks of the United States
- National parks in California
- Neenach Volcano
- Tres Pinos, California
- Trona Pinnacles — in southern California near Ridgecrest and Trona
References
- ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2012" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved September 22, 2013. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
- ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ Oberg, Reta R. (1979). "Administrative History of Pinnacles National Monument" (PDF). National Park Service. pp. 4–5. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ Draft General Management Plan, National Park Service, p. 4
- ^ Oberg, p. 64
- ^ Oberg, p. 70
- ^ Oberg, p. 76
- ^ Oberg, p. 77
- ^ Oberg, p. 79
- ^ Oberg, p. 72
- ^ Oberg, p. 85
- ^ Oberg, pp. 91–94
- ^ Oberg, pp. 96–97
- ^ a b Oberg, p. 111
- ^ Oberg, pp. 86–91
- ^ Oberg, pp. 121–122
- ^ Oberg, pp. 135–136
- ^ Oberg, p. 145
- ^ Oberg, pp. 146–147
- ^ Oberg, p. 153
- ^ Oberg, p. 150
- ^ Oberg, p. 154
- ^ Oberg, p. 167
- ^ Oberg, p. 184
- ^ Oberg, p. 168
- ^ Oberg, p. 173
- ^ Oberg, p. 180
- ^ a b Draft General Management Plan, National Park Service, pp. 4–5
- ^ Oberg, p. 182
- ^ Oberg, p. 183
- ^ Oberg, p. 190
- ^ "History & Culture". National Park Service. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
- ^ Oberg, pp. 195, 198
- ^ Oberg, pp. 200–201
- ^ "Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment, Pinnacles National Monument". National Park Service. October 2012.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Wikisource:Proclamation 7266
- ^ a b Molnar, Phillip (December 31, 2012). "Bill creating Pinnacles National Park awaits Obama's signature". Monterey Herald. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ^ Simon, Richard (December 31, 2012). "Pinnacles National Monument set to become a park". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- , enacted August 18, 1970.
- , enacted March 27, 1978.
- ^ 16 U.S.C. § 1a-1, National Park System: administration; declaration of findings and purpose.
- ^ Rogers, Paul (January 10, 2013). "Obama elevates Pinnacles National Monument south of Bay Area to full national park status". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Faults". Pinnacles National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87842-409-2.
- ^ Oberg, p. 3
- ^ Oberg, pp. 35–36
- ^ "Animals". Pinnacles National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Hagel, Chris (May 3, 2021). "Rare California condor egg hatches in Pinnacles National Park". KSBW. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Fimrite, Peter (March 10, 2010). "First condor nest in Pinnacles in 100 years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ Rogers, Paul (October 11, 2016). "California condors: Chick born in wild flies from nest at Pinnacles National Park for first time in a century". The Mercury News. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
- ^ "California Condors at Pinnacles". Pinnacles National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Bat Inventory of Pinnacles National Park" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Muffoletto, Mary-Ann (January 17, 2019). "USU Bee Surveys in Newest National Park Could Aid Studies Elsewhere". Utah State University. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ Grinde, Alexis R.; Sweitzer, Rick A. "Vegetation Monitoring after Wild Pig Removal at Pinnacles National Park" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". Data Basin. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ Oberg, pp. 1–2
- ^ "Wilderness - Pinnacles National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov.
- , enacted October 20, 1976
- ^ Forgione, Mary (January 14, 2013). "California: Pinnacles National Park is nation's newest park". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ "Cave/Karst Systems". Pinnacles National Park. National Park Service.
- ^ "Balconies Cave in Pinnacles National Park". hikespeak.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ "Bear Gulch Cave Trail and Moses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park". hikespeak.com. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ "Status of the Caves". Pinnacles National Park. National Park Service. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ "Camping at Pinnacles". Pinnacles National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ISBN 91-0-856715-8.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about Climbing". Pinnacles National Park. National Park Service.
- ^ "Safety Advisory for Climbing". Pinnacles National Park. National Park Service.
Further reading
- Oberg, Reta R. (1979), Administrative History of Pinnacles National Monument, National Park Service
External links
- Official website
of the National Park Service
- Pinnacles National Park maps, U.S. National Park Service
- Pinnacles National Park at San Francisco Bay Area National Parks Science and Learning
- Condor Watch The Condor Watch crowdsourcing project, started April 2014.
- NASA Earth Observatory: Satellite images
- California-birding: Bird Watching at Pinnacles National Park
- Pinnacles photoblog from bRaNdSboRg.CoM