Getting Around Pinnacles National Park: Access, Entrances, and Parking

By Jocelyn Pion · Data: National Park Service · ← Complete guide Pinnacles

Pinnacles is one of California's least-visited national parks, but getting around takes some planning. Its defining feature is simple: no road crosses the park from east to west. Choose the wrong entrance and you'll miss half the trails you planned to hike. You need a car, there is no shuttle, and parking lots fill before 10 a.m. on peak-season weekends. Here's what we've learned so we don't make that mistake again.

The short answer: You need your own car at Pinnacles, since the park has no shuttle. Choose your entrance, east or west, before you leave. You cannot drive from one side to the other through the park.

Getting to Pinnacles National Park

No bus, train, or public shuttle serves Pinnacles from the surrounding towns, so you need a car. For routes and distances from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the gateway towns, the Pinnacles access guide has all the practical details.

The Park's Entrances and Which One to Choose

This is the most important decision to make before you leave. Pinnacles has two entrances, and no road inside the park connects them. You enter on one side and explore that side. To switch areas, you have to leave the park and drive around on the outside roads.

East Entrance: via CA-25 from Hollister. This is the main entrance. You'll find the Visitor Center here, along with Pinnacles Campground and trailheads leading to Bear Gulch Cave, Bear Gulch Reservoir, and the park's most iconic rock formations. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. For a first visit, it's the obvious choice.

West Entrance: via US-101, the Soledad exit, then CA-146. This access road is narrow and winding, with one-way sections in places. It leads to the Balconies Cave, Prewett Point, and Juniper Canyon trailheads. Large vehicles, including RVs and large vans, should not use it.

Which one should you choose? For your first visit, enter from the east. If your plans focus specifically on Balconies Cave or the western trails, start in Soledad and spend the day in that area.

The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle or $15 per pedestrian or cyclist (2025 rate). For entrance fees and annual passes, see the National Parks Fees & Passes page.

Getting Around the Park

By Car

A car is the only motorized way to get around the park. There is no shuttle, bus, or tram. Park at the trailhead parking area you chose, then continue on foot.

The speed limit is 35 mph on the main roads and 25 mph in some interior areas. The roads on the east side are wide and well maintained. CA-146 on the west side requires extra care. Because parts of it are single-lane, drivers sometimes have to back up to pass oncoming vehicles.

By Bike

Bikes are allowed on the park's paved roads but prohibited on all hiking trails. There are no dedicated bike paths. In practice, few cyclists choose this option because of the summer heat, which climbs above 100°F in July and August, and the elevation gain.

On Foot

Once you've parked, you explore entirely on foot. Marked trails connect the parking areas with rock formations, caves, and viewpoints. Our Hiking page lists routes by difficulty and duration.

Where to Park: Parking Areas and Availability

Parking is the tricky part at Pinnacles. Spring weekends (March and April) and fall weekends (October and November) draw most of the visitors, and the parking areas reach capacity before 9 or 10 a.m.

East side: The main parking area is by the Visitor Center in the Bear Gulch area. A second parking area is near Pinnacles Campground. During peak season, both are full by midmorning. Arrive after 10 a.m. on an October Saturday and you'll have to wait for a spot to open up.

West side: Chaparral Parking Area is smaller. It serves hikers heading for Balconies and Juniper Canyon. The same rule applies: arrive before 8:30 a.m. and you'll be fine.

There is no parking reservation system for day visitors. Parking is included with the entrance fee, with no additional charge.

Our When to Visit page covers crowd levels and ways to avoid them.

Distances and Drive Times Between Areas

Pinnacles covers about 100 square miles, which is modest for a U.S. national park. The real constraint is elsewhere: you cannot drive from the east side to the west side inside the park. If you've parked on the west side and want to see Bear Gulch, allow about 1.5 hours to drive around the outside via CA-146, US-101, and CA-25.

Within each area, walking distances between the main points of interest are manageable. Allow 2 to 6 miles, depending on the route you choose. Our Itinerary & Timing guide suggests sample days organized by entrance, with estimated hiking times.

Special Cases: RVs, Accessibility, and Pets

RVs and large vehicles: The NPS strongly advises against taking oversized vehicles through the West Entrance. The interior section of CA-146 is too narrow for maneuvering. If you're traveling in an RV, always enter from the east. Pinnacles Campground on the east side offers sites with electrical hookups, which you can reserve in advance at recreation.gov.

Accessibility: The East Entrance is much more accessible. The Visitor Center is wheelchair accessible, and a few paved areas allow for partial exploration. The winding, single-lane road on the west side is too difficult to navigate. Our Practical Information page has details on available facilities.

Pets: Dogs are allowed in the park, but only on paved roads, in parking areas, and at the campground. They are prohibited on all trails and inside buildings. Bring water and food for them, since there are no supplies available outside the campground.

Getting Around: Fuel, Cell Service, and Apps

Fuel: There are no gas stations inside the park. Fill up in Soledad before using the West Entrance, or in Hollister before using the East Entrance. Do not count on finding a gas station once you've started along the access roads.

Cell service: It is almost nonexistent inside the park. We can confirm this from experience. Even in 2024, no carrier provided reliable coverage once we passed the entrance gate. Download your maps for offline use (Gaia GPS, AllTrails, or Maps.me) before leaving the last town. The free paper map available at the Visitor Center is still worth keeping as a backup.

Useful apps: The official NPS app lets you download park maps in advance. Recreation.gov is essential if you plan to camp.

Frequently Asked Questions