Parking
Use Peaks View Parking Area and follow the Bench Trail west to the Sycamore junction. The 1.0-mile line ends at Bear Gulch Day Use Area; retrace it or connect to another trail to return.
Overview
About Sycamore Trail
Why go
- Tree-lined creek corridor, a footbridge, and bird habitat on a short route
Heads up
- The point-to-point finish needs a return plan
- Limited shade and no trail water
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Pinnacles map
Full mapElevation981–1,276 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Pinnacles alerts
- CautionVery high fire danger restrictionsVery high fire danger is active at Pinnacles; follow these restrictions to reduce wildfire risk. - Do not use wood-burning fires or charcoal grills.Official details
- CautionHot conditions and heat alertHot conditions and a heat alert are active at Pinnacles; limit strenuous hiking to early morning and late evening and prepare for extreme heat.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Pinnacles Tour Guide
Your drive to Sycamore Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Peaks View Picnic Stop0:00 / 0:16
“Peaks View Parking Area is coming up, a handy picnic stop with a modest view of the formations. The spotting scopes beside the bench give you a closer look.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Pinnacles Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- North Chalone Peak via Bear Gulch
- Bear Gulch to High Peaks
- Old Pinnacles and Machete Ridge
- Bench Trail from the Campground
- 12 audio storiesacross Pinnacles’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor California Condor, Mule Deer, Chipmunk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 25 trails, 23 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sycamore Trail
The short creek connectionSycamore Trail is a 1.
Sycamore Trail is a 1.0-mile point-to-point walk from the Bench Trail junction by Peaks View to Bear Gulch Day Use Area. It follows the low creek corridor and finishes by the nature center, picnic area, and restrooms. Allow 45–60 minutes one way. The measured mile is the trail segment; the Bench approach from parking and the return trip add distance.
A dry creek with a little historyThe route climbs gently beneath tree groves, with a more open stretch and a bridge over the…
The route climbs gently beneath tree groves, with a more open stretch and a bridge over the creek bed. Bear Gulch Creek runs seasonally, so the channel is often dry; small waterfalls may appear after heavy rain. Along the creek, a dry-laid stone tree well was built to protect trees during construction of the entrance road. Watch the tree-lined wash for birds, and leave time to use the picnic area at the Bear Gulch finish.
Plan the two endsPark at Peaks View and follow the Bench Trail west to the Sycamore junction.
Park at Peaks View and follow the Bench Trail west to the Sycamore junction. From Bear Gulch Day Use Area, turn back or continue on a separate trail; this route is not a loop. There is no drinking water along the route and shade is limited. Pets are not allowed, though service animals are permitted. No separate hiking permit or reservation is required; park admission applies.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Pinnacles
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.
