Pinnacles Loop

Pinnacles Loop is a desert circuit west of Atlatl Rock, with a long open approach, a walk through red sandstone spires, and a quieter return across washes and flats. Plan on about 4.7 miles for the full loop and roughly 2½ to 3 hours. The park map lists 4.5 miles; the mapped line including the short trailhead connections measures just under 4.75. Loose gravel and route-finding make this more than a quick stroll, even though the climbing is moderate.

Start across the road from the Atlatl Rock day-use lot, just past the West Entrance and Beehive formations. The signed trailhead is easy to miss. The walk begins in a broad wash of fine gravel that shifts underfoot, then crosses open scrub behind a large gray hill. Follow the posts while they are visible. The route is easiest to lose later, where tread and markers fade; watch for the right turn toward the pinnacles. Continuing up the wash takes you past the turn and eventually to a cliff.

After about two miles, the orange formations rise ahead and the loop threads through their hidden valley. Give this section time: the upright fins and the single balancing rock are the payoff, not just scenery on the way to somewhere else. The red rock is Jurassic Aztec sandstone, formed from ancient shifting dunes roughly 150 million years ago. From the higher ground before the cluster, look back across the pinnacles with a strip of trail in the frame; it gives the towers scale.

The loop circles a broad hill, passing through the pinnacles on one side and returning through a more compact brown-rock wash and open flats. That far side can feel easier underfoot than the loose gravel at the start, but the tread comes and goes, so keep checking your position rather than assuming the wash is the route. Desert plants such as cholla, hedgehog cactus and prickly pear grow among the flats.