Pinnacles National Monument part I

Hubby and I first went to Pinnacles a year ago and we have been back twice. It is a very interesting place with great scenery, unusual birds, beautiful flora and interesting geology.

This post will start with the geology. I'm not a geologist but as a native Californian I know something of earthquakes. Pinnacles lies on the San Andreas Fault. The rock formations are the remains of an ancient volcano that straddled the fault. The rest of the volcano is nearly 200 miles to the southeast. This part is slowly sliding north.

This view is take from the highway on the east side of the monument. The campground is on the east side and while you can hike to the west no road crosses the monument. It would take at least an hour and a half to drive to the west entrance.

The formations are very popular with climbers and it is a great place for hikers like me.

I took this shot because it looked like other formations that I knew to be volcanic in origin.

My next post will show some of the wildflowers we saw and a lovely stream.