Travelogue in the Pinnacles National Park, California – My takeaways

 

"Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation ?" - John Muir, one of the main inspirations for the U.S. National Park system

Opening Note

My short trip to California, USA was in the card for quite some time, as my visitor visa is to expire short while from now. The open invite from Ramesh, my brother’s son to visit his family at Scott’s Valley, Santa Cruz was long standing though. The last time I travelled to his home from Chicago for a very brief spell of 10 days was eight years ago in 2015 winter. Other than taking me on some trails in the nearby Henry Cowell state park to feel the mighty redwood trees and the Ano Nuevo state park in the Ano Nueva bay of the North Pacific coast to look at the ubiquitous elephant seals, my nephew drove me for a three day sojourn to Yosemite, one of the oldest national parks of the country, protected since 1964. The harsh November weather of Yosemite Valley didn’t permit us to take any long trek, though we accomplished some short hikes to Lower Yosemite falls and Tuolumne Meadows. I am an avid trekker for I served in the Indian Forest Service and availed very many opportunities to trek to the steep hills in the western Himalayas as part of my training and later to the peaks of Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats during my career in Tamil Nadu. Being a fitness freak and possessing an extraordinary liking for outdoor life, my nephew’s interest gelled well with mine, though he is fifteen years younger to me. Naturally, I anticipated an exciting itinerary during my stay here, involving travel to some of the nature-based exotic locations in the USA.

Getting into the climate grooves 

Into the first week of landing in USA and having got over the usual jet lag syndrome, I was gearing up for the interstate tours. Despite being into the spring season of the year that runs from March to May, the unusually lingering atmospheric river phenomenon in California has brought intermittent showers to the valley with average temperatures hovering around 8 degree C (min)  and 16 degree C (max). In between, weather forecast predicted open sky with bright sunshine on few days of my first week. Having come from Chennai with the tropical humid climate, I acclimatized to the stiff cool weather of the Scotts Valley by taking my regular walk out in the open in the nearby Sky Park and fairly longer walk through the Bean Creek Road- Glenwood Drive- Scotts Valley Drive loop of 7.5 miles. That would put me in good stead on my hiking ventures in the days to follow, I thought.

Our drive to Pinnacles National Park

My nephew planned for a day long trip to the Pinnacles National Park, some 85 miles away from his home. It was a sunny, windless day with no forecast for rain. That was the first welcome sign for our journey. We picked up my nephew’s friend Sanjiv, a senior citizen from Santa Cruz who too is a keen hiker and headed for the east side entrance of the Park via Hollister town, taking the highways CA 1, 101, 345 and finally 25. Beyond Hollister, the drive exposed us to an absolutely enchanting landscape of rolling meadows, made of expansive ranches and massive vineyards. The view of the wild flowers spreading out in thick yellow carpets on the gentle hill slopes, interrupted with the rich-orange flowers of wild poppy (the State flower for California) was absolutely mesmerizing. While Ramesh was in the wheel, I was engaging Sanjiv with a conversation on the status of Protected and Wilderness Areas of USA in general and California, in particular. He seemed to have wide experience in hiking many trails in the NPs of USA. 

After about one and half hour drive from Santa Cruz, we hit the Pinnacle park east entrance station, where Sanjeev flashed a plastic card at the reception gate and the boom went up allowing us to proceed. Inquisitive about why we haven’t been asked to pay the visitor fee, Sanjiv explained that as a senior citizen of US, he is entitled for a life-time card ‘America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass’ for a meager $ 80 that covers entrance and standard amenity (day-use) recreation fees for pass holders and their companions to more than 2,000 recreation sites under the federal government agencies across the US. Wonderful way of attracting the seniors to the natural landscapes, I felt! I browsed through to be surprised that there are a total of 42,826 Protected Areas, falling in the seven IUCN management categories and into over 545 designations, ranging from National Parks to the State Parks, wilderness areas to marine sanctuaries and so on. That is way high compared to the PA network of 998 managed areas in India, under four categories viz., National Park, Sanctuary, Conservation Reserve and Community Reserve. Most parks and preserves have extensive trails that are laid to provide ample hiking avenue for the visitors. The visitor entry is mostly linked to advance reservations for the parking lot, as most of them travel by their own vehicle.

After another mile drive, we crossed the Pinnacles camping ground where many forms of overnight camping facilities like tents, recreational vehicles (RV), group sites, showers and a store are available. We alighted for a brief photo shoot at the Pinnacle NP sign and proceeded for 1.5 mile to stop at the NP visitor center that has the parking lot, an interpretation center and restrooms. We had a brief chat with the Park Ranger at the visitor center who introduced us to the highlight features of the Park and handed out a brochure guide. 

Pinnacles- A true Nature’s spectacle

Geological understanding of the origin of a series of north-south ridges, row upon row of mountainous rubble along the California’s Coast Range was an outcome of the movement of two tectonic plates, the lighter-weight North American Plate, overriding or subducting the denser Farallon plate that happened some 60 million years ago. As the spreading ridge was subducted beneath the continental plate, volcanic field formed at the surface. This tectonic plate movement, the volcanic field formations and their eruption, and the accompanying erosive forces have created the rugged landscape of Pinnacles, full of rocky spires, as we see today. 

The native life of Pinnacles is more complex than it appears. The Pinnacles’ Mediterranean climate- hot dry summers, cool winters and moderate rainfall influences the parks’ plants and trees. Both flora and fauna are diverse, interdependent and very well adapted to their environment. There are basically four biotic communities found in the park: Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Riparian (springs and streambeds) and Xeric (rock and scree).

The Chaparral community, occupying 82 per cent of the park area is the dense, scrubby brush on the hillsides. It comprises of plants, well adapted to water stress that can survive long periods of heat and drought and control erosion in the terrain. Chamise (or greasewood), Ceanothus (also known as buck bush or wild lilac) are common plants that rely on fire to propagate. Manzanita’s berries provide a reliable winter food source for small birds and mammals and the seeds of the gray pine (or digger pine), the only pine native to the Pinnacles are enjoyed by squirrels, big-eared kangaroo rats and brown towhees. The chaparrals dense, brushy habitat is ideal for sparrows, scrub jays, towhees and the wrentit. Rodents, rattlesnakes, king snakes, hawks and bobcats also form an integral part of this ecosystem.

Occupying 13 per cent of the Pinnacles, the Foothill Woodland community consists of the sparser, rolling, grassy hills with blue oak trees and gray pines that welcome the visitors commencing from the park boundaries on the east and the west. Called the "bread basket" of the park, abundant acorns and grasses provide food to the California quail, other birds, the rodents like rat and ground squirrel, rabbit and deer. Predators include the hawks, gray fox, bobcats and the occasional mountain lion. Hawks and kites soar above while the woodpecker's tap tap echoes through the stillness. The mysterious feral pigs can be found in the valley along with the gentle Black-tailed Deer, rabbits and ground squirrels. After the spring rains, the foothills bloom with beautiful bright wildflowers.

The Riparian community represents the interface between land and a river or stream and includes springs and streambeds. It accounts for three per cent of the park. The huge, deciduous valley oaks, evergreen coast live oaks and white-barked California sycamore provide shade, shelter and food for the abundant bird life. Owls, raccoons and coyotes feed in the stream areas, though mostly at night. Cottonwoods, willows, blackberries, ferns, cattails, stinging nettles and duckweed depend on the constant water, as do the salamanders, lizards and snakes.

Pinnacles’ Xeric or Rock community occupies the smallest percentage of the park yet attracts the most attention. With little soil on the cliffs, the plants most common to this community are the lichens, mosses, spike mosses and Stonecrops. Over 90 species of lichens are slowly breaking down the rocks. The animals include the common turkey vultures, ravens, bats and lizards. Prairie falcons and peregrine falcons both endangered are not numerous. These birds of prey along with the amazing golden eagle nest in shallow caves and cliff ledges. 

Three mammals have been introduced to Pinnacles -- the house mouse, opossum, and feral pig. The house mouse (Mus musculus) and opossum (Didelphis virginiana) are rare and not considered threatening to Pinnacles’ native ecosystems. Feral pigs (Sus scrofa), on the other hand, were abundant within the Park and caused extensive damage to the native vegetation. Conscious of the long term threats to the native biota from the feral pigs, a fence was constructed around the Park’s perimeter and pigs within the fence were removed.

Hike for the day 

The information brochure suggests that there are 15 trails over 30 miles long in the park, many of which intersect. Visitor has the option to plan for a short loop or a longer all-day hike and to pick up an easy to medium to strenuous trail. We noticed that the parking area was almost full and there were numerous visitors, as mid February to June is reportedly the busiest times here.

Once we relieved ourselves in the well kept restroom, we embarked on our hike around 1.30 pm through the Bear Gulch trail, graded as a moderate hike of 2.3 miles one way, calling for no steep ascent. Gulch means a narrow and steep-sided ravine marking the course of a fast stream. This one and half hour trail one way involved a walk from the Visitor centre along the Chalone and Bear creeks to the Bear Gulch day use area, ending at the Bear Gulch reservoir that has an elevation change of 300 feet. In the first quarter mile from the parking area many amenities such as dining benches, barbeque stands, and bear-proof trash bins have been provided alongside the trail on the gently ascending riparian landscape that meanders along the Bear creek for the picnickers to relax and rejoice. The creeks were seen with steadily flowing water making a rustling noise, as California had an unusually long wet spell this year, Ramesh explained.

Another 1.0 mile stretch of the trail was taking us through the xeric landscape of steep ravines, narrow stream channels overtopped with boulders, monoliths and colonnades, besides the rocky behemoths of massive walls, lonely pillars, and crags of many glowing colors. While the rock faces close to wet streams support a bright green blanket of lichens and mosses, the overhanging colonnades and monoliths sport a bright red color. We were feasted with a sight of a Prairie Falcon and a turkey vulture soaring high over the rocky outcrops. We learnt that the park is home to the highly endangered Californian Condor, the largest bird in North America but we couldn’t spot one during our brief stay. The rocky summits and peaks of Pinnacles provide nesting habitat and roosts for many raptors. We saw a rock climber commencing his climbing feat over a 90o vertical cliff of about 100 ft. Even we were watching nervously for 10 minutes, the climber almost ascended a fifth of the height. He appeared to have been a well-trained and properly equipped climber, as I learnt from the other walkers that the rocks here are mostly volcanic breccia and tuff and as such are weak compared to the granite and basalt of many climbing areas.

By then we were close to the mouth of the Bear Gulch cave, one of the two talus caves in the park, as the signage announced. These caves were created when boulders formed a roof over the narrow canyon. A few meters into the cave, we realized that the cave was dark, narrow and twisting with low ceiling and uneven footing. As the cave floor was covered with icy water, we had the option to continue wading through water with our boots off. We could have to then cool our heels, literally. Though prepared with a flash light, we retreated from the cave and continue our trail in the open alongside the cave’s roof. With the withdrawal from the cave, we obviously missed the opportunity of watching the colony of the rare and sensitive Townsend's Big-eared bats, hanging on the dark inner walls of the cave, where they breed.

Further up, we noticed a massive boulder which is seated happily just over the two outcrops jutting out. A perfect spot for photo-shooters, with the fear of the boulder sliding down anytime sooner . Moving a few hundred meters, we commanded an amazing view of a water fall, dropping from a table land 50 feet above. 

The fall is a resultant of water surplusing from the Bear Gulch Reservoir, which has been full this season thanks to the good monsoon rains. The reservoir was built in 1935 to prevent flooding downstream and mainly for its aesthetic appeal to the visitors. Within another 100 feet walk, we landed at reservoir bund, which provides perfect and picturesque backdrop for the hikers to break for some quick bites of snacks and drinks. In fact, we noticed over a score of visitors seated on the cemented pavement along the bund for rest. As we opened our snack box, a ground squirrel was found coming close to us, probably looking for some bites. I wasn’t sure whether the squirrel has become comfortable to the proximity of human being. Feeding wild animals in the park is prohibited and the visitors seem to toe with the guidelines. The area was surprisingly free of any litter, as visitors scrupulously follow the park regulations. 

Having done that resting, we took a slight detour that after a mile joins in a loop at the bear gulch trail. The return walk was rather light, as we continuously descended from the reservoir. During our entire travel in the park, we observed that hikers struck to the notified trails well marked by sign boards at the right spots, and have not been making any detours or undue noise. By about 4.00 PM, we reached the parking lot to retrace our journey back to Scotts Valley. En route we stopped briefly at the park store in the camping ground to pick up some souvenirs as a memory of our visit to Pinnacles. We ended the day over a wine tasting session at a winery in down town Santa Cruz- courtesy Sanjiv that followed with a dinner meet with family members of Sanjiv and Ramesh at Namasthe, the Indian restaurant at Santa Cruz. A day well spent!

The abnormally wet winter of 2022-23, the recent storms and an extended period of precipitation has probably postponed the onset of the blooming of 100 odd wild flower species that usually dazzle the eye with colors in the park in the spring. We couldn’t spot any exceptional blooms during our day at Pinnacles.

The park management has identified two potentially harmful members of this community which warrant the visitors’ caution- the rattlesnakes and poison oak (common in riparian regions). The advice has been to walk cautiously, especially when stepping over rocks or fallen trees. Much more prevalent and perilous to park visitors is poison oak that can cause allergic reactions on human body when coming in contact. Picture guide to identify poison oak was in display in the visitor centre, where one can ask a park ranger about the same before beginning any hike.

Key Takeaways

We have been harping on responsible eco tourism practices in India for at least a decade now. But what we notice in the vicinity of our nature-based visitation areas in general is the abject violation of most codes of eco-friendly tourism - be it form of crowding, heaps of garbage littering the tourism zone of our protected areas, tourists feeding wild animals, open air peeing, high-pitched and rattling noise of visitors and so on. What I saw in Pinnacles is an absolutely different scenario, as I explained above. 

Some of the lessons I see worth emulation are: 

Opening up the wildlife areas by organizing treks within the parks or sanctuaries for serious visitors and wildlife enthusiasts, subject to carrying capacity norms to heighten awareness among the public and to engage them in conservation 

Developing well thought out trails and camping sites with appropriate signages in outstanding natural landscapes

Organizing guided treks and camp halts with participation of local communities, as is already happening in some NPs and Sanctuaries in Kerala

Creating eco-friendly infrastructure such as camp tenting, toilets including portable ones, wild animal proof trash bins (which at present is missing in many of our PAs as a result of which one can see the garbage spills from monkeys and other animals scavenging the bins) and their proper upkeep.

Photo courtesy: Ramesh Theivendran, Sanjiv Garg and Sekar Thangamuthu