About the Pinnacles Wilderness More than 23 million years ago, according to the prevailing theory of plate tectonics, the Pacific Plate ground past the North American Plate, wrenching off a piece and creating the San Andreas Rift Zone. Molten lava poured through the rift, and a huge volcanic mountain was formed. Eons of wind and water, heat and frost wore down the mountain and produced the starkly angular crags and spires of today's Pinnacles National Monument. Movement of the Pacific Plate carried the Pinnacles with infinite slowness to their present location, approximately 195 miles north of the place of their birth. A chaparral plant community has grown up on the rugged lower slopes of the area, prime habitat for black-tailed deer, rabbits, gray foxes, raccoons, and bobcats.
High peaks divide the monument into eastern and western portions.
Road access is available to both sides, but no roads connect the two. Camping is permitted at a picnic area on the west side all year except on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from February 11 to May 31, and a fee is charged. About 30 miles of foot trails provide access to the Wilderness, but no camping is allowed because of the fragile nature of this relatively small area. Technical rock climbers will find a wealth of routes of varying difficulty, and the sport has been growing in popularity here.