frosty
Pinnacles is named for the volcanic peaks rising from the many faults in the area. There are two unconnected sides to the park; we were on the east side that has the only campground, where we stayed. The west side may have better views, but the access is from a long winding, occasionally one-lane road. We opted out of a day trip to that side and instead went on two short hikes.
Bear Gulch Cave Trail goes up to a talus cave (boulders piled on each other). Condor Gulch Trail goes to an overlook with a good view of the pinnacles, and as it turned out, a view of two of the ~90 California Condors who have settled in or near the park after being raised in captivity. In 1987, the last 22 condors were captured in 1987 and bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the LA Zoo. They have been released into the wild since 1991 in Central California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California.
Along with the condors, there were a few other interesting birds in and around the park.
California Condor. Getting a picture (even a bad one with too short of a lens) of one of the ~330 condors in the wild was the high point of the visit.