Picnic area · Pinnacles National Park
A small picnic grove between Moses Spring and Bear Gulch Day Use.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Pinnacles Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Pinnacles National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir“You're coming up on the Bear Gulch walking area, the starting point for the cave and reservoir. The moderate Moses Spring and Rim Trail loop is about two point two miles; allow an hour and a half to two hours.”
Plays as you drive up to Bear Gulch Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Pinnacles Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Bear Gulch Picnic Area is a small picnic grove between Moses Spring Parking and Bear Gulch Day Use Area on Pinnacles’ east side. It’s a handy lunch stop if you’re already exploring the Bear Gulch area; I wouldn’t plan a separate visit around it.
The adjacent Bear Gulch Day Use area sits among blue oaks and gray pines, with Pinnacles rock formations visible between the hillsides. This stop is about taking a meal break in that east-side setting, not adding another viewpoint to your day.
Wildlife
47 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 1 PMSighting map
26 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
19 sightingsChipmunkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
33 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
26 sightingsAcorn WoodpeckerMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
16 sightingsSteller's JayMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Pinnacles. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingCondor Gulch to High Peaks Loop5.3 mi · 4 hr · 0.1 mi awayA strenuous circuit through volcanic spires and an exposed, narrow ridge.
ChallengingHigh Peaks to Bear Gulch Loop6.7 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA steep ridge climb, tight rock passages, and a shaded return.
ModerateMoses Spring to Rim Trail Loop2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.2 mi awayA short loop linking Bear Gulch’s cave, reservoir, and rim.
ModerateCondor Gulch Trail to Overlook2 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.2 mi awayA steady mile leads to a rocky overlook into Condor Gulch.
ChallengingChalone Peak Trail9 mi · 5 hr · 0.2 mi awayAn exposed climb to the park’s high point and a closed lookout.
ModerateMoses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir1 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.2 mi awayA short rocky climb to a ferny grotto and stone dam.ChallengingSouth Chalone Peak Trail9.8 mi · 6.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA long, unmaintained branch to the southern ridge.
ModerateSycamore Trail1 mi · 45 min · 1 mi awayA gentle creekside mile between Peaks View and Bear Gulch.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayBear Gulch Day Use AreaPark once for east-side trails and a rocky-hills view.
Visitor center · 0.2 mi awayBear Gulch Nature CenterA compact ranger stop before Bear Gulch trails
Sight · 0.3 mi awayDiscovery WallA technical crag where weak volcanic rock demands care.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayMoses SpringA rock-wall spring worth a pause; don’t drink the water.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayBear Gulch CaveA boulder-built cave passage leads toward Bear Gulch Reservoir.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayThe MonolithA steep volcanic face beside the reservoir, famous among climbers.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayBear Gulch ReservoirStill water mirrors the spires above the rocky cave route.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayCondor Gulch OverlookA worthwhile rocky pause before the tougher High Peaks climb.Parkwolf’s Pinnacles ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
