Hike High Peaks to Bear Gulch Loop

This loop is Pinnacles at its finest — a greatest-hits tour that earns every drop of sweat. You'll climb steadily through open grassland and blue oak savanna before the trail tilts upward into the volcanic spires of the High Peaks, where narrow passages thread between towering rock formations and steep stone staircases carved into the cliffs demand your full attention. The ridge section is pure drama: exposed traverses with hand railings bolted into rock, panoramic views stretching to the Salinas Valley, and California condors riding thermals close enough to make out their wing tags. The descent mellows through shaded riparian corridors along Bear Gulch, where sycamores and buckeyes arch over the creek bed like a cool exhale after the sun-blasted peaks. This is the trail for hikers who want variety — technical scrambling, big views, and a forested cooldown all in one outing.