Actually, you can't go through Bear Gulch Cave at all right now. A colony of Townsend Big-Eared bats has settled into the cave, reports Jeanie Garbini, park secretary. Claustrophobic parents, you have been saved by kindly bats. However, Pinnacles offers another shorter but equally dark cave you can try out. Balconies Cave is open, reports Garbini, with flashlights recommended.
Pinnacles also offers interesting hiking.
But I'd suggest spring hiking rather than summer. These rocks absorb heat and Pinnacles can become an oven. We were grateful we had camped at privately owned Pinnacles Campground Incorporated, which is open year-round and has a swimming pool that opens when heat sets in. If you're heading for a day trip to Pinnacles, Garbini recommends getting there early in the day, as parking is limited. In 1997 a flood took out part of the parking and the park's campground.