Sight · Pinnacles National Park
A rock-wall spring worth a pause; don’t drink the water.
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 Moses Spring in the Parkwolf Pinnacles Tour Guide.
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Guide
Moses Spring is a small water feature at stop 11 on Moses Spring Trail, where water emerges from a rough rock wall beneath ferns. It makes a good pause if you’re already walking the Bear Gulch side of Pinnacles; the spring is a point of interest along the route, not a separate destination. Its mapped flow is intermittent, so don’t count on seeing water every time.
Reach the trail from Moses Spring Parking Area near Bear Gulch Nature Center, on the park’s East Entrance side. The full Moses Spring and Rim Trail loop is about 2.2 miles, moderate, and takes roughly one to two hours; that’s the loop distance, not a spring-only walk. The route continues past rock formations, talus caves and Bear Gulch Reservoir before following the gulch rim.
The spring’s water is not potable. The park warns that it may contain naturally occurring contaminants, so treat it as something to look at, not a drinking-water source. OSM marks the named spring as intermittent, which is why the flow shouldn’t be assumed.
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
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 · 0.2 mi awayA long, unmaintained branch to the southern ridge.
ChallengingHigh Peaks to Bear Gulch Loop6.7 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA steep ridge climb, tight rock passages, and a shaded return.
ChallengingCondor Gulch to High Peaks Loop5.3 mi · 4 hr · 0.3 mi awayA strenuous circuit through volcanic spires and an exposed, narrow ridge.
ModerateMoses Spring to Rim Trail Loop2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short loop linking Bear Gulch’s cave, reservoir, and rim.
ModerateCondor Gulch Trail to Overlook2 mi · 1.8 hr · 0.5 mi awayA steady mile leads to a rocky overlook into Condor Gulch.ChallengingChalone Peak Trail9 mi · 5 hr · 0.5 mi awayAn exposed climb to the park’s high point and a closed lookout.
ModerateSycamore Trail1 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayA gentle creekside mile between Peaks View and Bear Gulch.
Sight · At the trailheadDiscovery WallA technical crag where weak volcanic rock demands care.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayBear Gulch CaveA boulder-built cave passage leads toward Bear Gulch Reservoir.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayThe MonolithA steep volcanic face beside the reservoir, famous among climbers.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayBear Gulch ReservoirStill water mirrors the spires above the rocky cave route.
Picnic area · 0.4 mi awayBear Gulch Picnic AreaA small picnic grove between Moses Spring and Bear Gulch Day Use.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayBear Gulch Day Use AreaPark once for east-side trails and a rocky-hills view.
Visitor center · 0.5 mi awayBear Gulch Nature CenterA compact ranger stop before Bear Gulch trails
Sight · 0.8 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.
