After a five-hour drive, the rocky spires of Pinnacles National Monument came into view. The park has no lodging, but Soledad and King City have motels, and a private campground lies just outside the eastern entrance off California Highway 146. Most of the 103 tent sites are large and grassy. I had called for a reservation earlier that week and booked the last site available, inches from a mini-swamp that I was afraid would harbor mosquitoes. At the Bear Gulch Visitor Center we looked at maps and asked questions.
Several hikes start at the visitor center.
We went up Moses Spring Trail to a view of a reservoir, then partway up the Condor Gulch Trail as it ascends 1.7 miles to a rocky ridge. We had brought our own food for the weekend, and that night we dined alfresco on salad, rice and barbecued chicken breasts. Our campsite was small, but we liked its isolation and the giant valley oaks and a tall gray pine that ringed it. We counted a dozen species of birds, including quail, woodpeckers and a wild turkey we heard but never saw. With binoculars and patience, I'm sure we could have identified more.