Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir: The Best Hike in Pinnacles National Park

I visited Pinnacles National Park for a day and found its hike to Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir to be one of my favorite hiking trails I’ve ever done. The hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir allows you to also explore Bear Gulch Cave on the way and is easily the best hike in Pinnacles National Park.

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About Pinnacles National Park

Pinnacles National Park is not only the least visited national park in California but one of the top 10 least visited national parks in the whole U.S. We seriously need some justice for Pinnacles because it’s a small but mighty national park.

Pinnacles National Park formed millions of years ago by volcanic eruptions in the area. It’s a unique national park with rock formations, caves, and hiking trails.

Author and two cousins posing in front of the welcome sign to Pinnacles National Park — Pinnacles National Park welcome sign

Everything You Need to Know About the Best Hike in Pinnacles National Park

If you only have time for one hike, definitely make it the hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir, which includes a journey through Bear Gulch Cave. It’s an incredible hike that features:

A cave
Rock scrambling
A man-made reservoir
Incredible views

It’s a whole adventure.

Don’t forget to stop at the visitor center. Before or after your hike, you can also visit Bear Gulch Nature Center and the visitor center on your trip to Pinnacles National Park. The park isn’t that big, so I felt that just doing one hike was enough to experience Pinnacles National Park.

East Side or West Side? How to Get to the Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir

Pinnacles National Park has two sides and two entrances, an east side and west side. You can’t drive through the park from east to west or vice versa.

The Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir hike is on the east side of Pinnacles National Park. So you’ll want to enter Pinnacles National Park via the east entrance.

Where to Park in Pinnacles National Park

Park at the parking lot near Moses Spring and the Bear Gulch Nature Center for your hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir.

Parking lots in Pinnacles National Park are few and far between. They fill up fast, especially on weekends. It’s a small national park that is growing in popularity, and I don’t think it’s infrastructure has quite caught up yet.

Get to the park early or else take the shuttle bus. If you don’t arrive before 8 a.m. to snag a spot near the trailhead, you will need to park elsewhere (farther away) and take the shuttle bus. The shuttle buses operate seasonally.

The national park’s website says to “Expect long lines and delays getting into the park between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Visitors hiking the High Peaks, Condor Gulch, Balconies, or Moses Spring trail should arrive before 8:00 a.m. (This is just an estimate. Parking may fill earlier).”

We arrived around 10 a.m. and had to take a shuttle as the parking lots nearest our trailhead to Bear Gulch Reservoir were already full. We ended up parking at the Peaks View parking lot and had to wait by the Pinnacles National Park sign for a shuttle bus to the Bear Gulch Nature Center.

Quick Facts on the Hike to Bear Gulch Cave and Reservoir

Length: 1.3 miles
Elevation gain: 311 feet
Trailhead: The hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir starts at the Moses Spring Trailhead.
How to Get There: Park at the Moses Spring parking lot if you arrive early enough. If not, the shuttle bus will drop you off near Bear Gulch Nature Center, an easy walk to the trailhead.

On the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park — Bear Gulch Reservoir Trail

Author's two cousins on the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park — Bear Gulch Reservoir Trail

Author climbing some rock stairs on the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park — Bear Gulch Reservoir Trail

Author's mom climbing some stone stairs on the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park — Bear Gulch Reservoir Trail

How to Explore Bear Gulch Cave on Your Hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir

About a quarter mile into the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir, you’ll reach a junction, a fork in the road. There’s a sign to let you know your two options: to go around the Bear Gulch Cave or through the Bear Gulch Cave. Either way eventually takes you to the same point, back on the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir.

We went through the cave on the way up and then around the cave on the way back down (and then through the cave two more times because we thought it was so much fun).

When Is Bear Gulch Cave Open?

Bear Gulch Cave has two parts, upper and lower, and one or the other or both parts temporarily closes in order to protect the colony of bats that live in there.

Lower Cave: Usually open about 10 months a year; closed from mid-May to mid-July
Upper Cave: Usually only open in March and October, for 2 weeks up to 2 months

Check the NPS website if the cave will be open during your visit. I’d highly recommend waiting for the cave to open before heading out to Pinnacles National Park. It’s not the same experience without visiting this cave.

The lower part of the cave was open during our visit in February (the upper part was closed), and we all loved exploring Bear Gulch Cave. It was a definite highlight.

Author in front of the entrance to Bear Gulch Cave in Pinnacles National Park — Entrance to Bear Gulch Cave

Inside Bear Gulch Cave in Pinnacles National Park — Bear Gulch Cave

Tips for Exploring Bear Gulch Cave

Bring a flashlight. It’s very dark inside the cave and there are no other lights except the occasional ray of sunlight breaking in through the rocks.
Wear shoes that have good traction and can get wet. There are waterfalls and streams and pools of water inside Bear Gulch Cave, and you may sometimes need to walk through water.
Mind the fork in the trail. If the cave is closed, you can still hike to Bear Gulch Reservoir by hiking the trail that goes atop the cave. There’s a fork in the trail, where one side goes through the cave and one side goes atop the cave. (The hike atop the cave offers incredible views.) I’d recommend taking both paths — one path on the way up and one on the way down.

Author atop Bear Gulch Cave in Pinnacles National Park — Atop Bear Gulch Cave

Author's cousins walking under a rock on the trail to Bear Gulch Reservoir in Pinnacles National Park — Atop Bear Gulch Cave

Before You Go: Check Current Conditions

Always check current conditions before setting out in order to be aware of road closures or inclement weather.

The east side entrance to the park is open 24/7, but an entrance fee is required.

If you plan to visit more than three national parks in a year, definitely get an America the Beautiful pass to save money.

What Else Can You Do in Pinnacles National Park?

For more ideas of what to do at Pinnacles National Park, check out the NPS’s list of things to do.

When to Go to Pinnacles National Park

You should go to Pinnacles National Park when the Bear Gulch Cave is open, at least the lower part. Times can vary throughout the year, so check the NPS website for the latest status updates.

Otherwise, the weather at Pinnacles National Park is pretty good year-round. There are mild winters, but summer can get hot.

We visited in early February and it was a little chilly in the morning but it warmed up considerably by the afternoon. Perfect weather for hiking.

What to Eat Near Pinnacles National Park

I’d recommend packing a picnic lunch for your hike in Pinnacles National Park. There aren’t any restaurants in Pinnacles National Park, but there is a small grocery store inside the visitor center. We bought some snacks there after our hike, but I wish we’d also packed a picnic lunch.

There aren’t any nearby restaurants outside of the park, either, so we had to drive back to Paso Robles before having a proper meal.

Where to Stay Near Pinnacles National Park

Camping in Pinnacles National Park

There aren’t any lodges/hotels in the park, but, for those who enjoy camping, Pinnacles National Park offers campgrounds in the park.

Paso Robles: 85 miles away (1.5 hours)

We were coming from southern California, so we stayed in Paso Robles, the nearest large city south of Pinnacles National Park. There are closer, smaller towns, but I’m glad we didn’t stay at any of them. Passing through, they seemed pretty dead with not many amenities.

However, we actually LOVED our stay at Oxford Suites Paso Robles. It’s a brand-new hotel that had an amazing free buffet breakfast — so, so good. Paso Robles is also a pretty neat town. We visited the Sensorio light installation while we were here.

Hollister: 35 miles away (45 minutes)

If you’re coming from northern California, try looking for lodgings in Hollister, CA, the nearest large-ish city near Pinnacles National Park from the north.

Is Pinnacles National Park Worth Visiting?

I’m a California native and waited far too long to visit Pinnacles National Park. I wish I had visited sooner! Is it worth a trip from farther away, out of state? Yes. If you have extra time and are already on a road trip that ventures into central California, definitely make Pinnacles National Park one of your stops.