Pinnacles National Park Camping

I was pleasantly surprised to find out about a new national park within a 5 hour drive radius of Los Angeles. Pinnacles National Park was recently promoted from the status of National Monument to National Park. That was Brendan's, Chrissy's and my camping destination for Labor Day weekend 2013.

Day 1 Friday, 30 Aug 2013

I have always made campsite reservations in advance to avoid the situation where we get to a place at night and don't find a spot to pitch our tents. However, with Pinnacles, it was a little too late for reservation and all the reservable spots were taken since it was a long weekend. So we decided that we would take our chances and try to get there early and find a walk-in site.

After starting at around 4 pm and a short dinner break at Baja Fresh on the highway, we were at Pinnacles at around 9 pm. The campground wasn't crowded and we were lucky to find a campsite. Since the visitor center was closed, we had to drop our campsite fees in an envelope outside the center. While doing that we met this guy who looked like a homeless person, who was with a dog and a bicycle with a little cart. He did not occupy a campsite since he had no tent. So he was going to pay for just the entry fee (dropping it in the envelope outside the visitor center) and spend the night outside, next to his bicycle. I was wondering where he had come from since there was no town for many miles around. He said he had biked all the way from San Francisco (which is 120 miles away from Pinnacles) and was on his way to Las Vegas (another 450 miles further southeast) riding a bicycle with a dog! The world is an interesting place with interesting people.

The weather was just perfect in the evening. But we knew it was going to be sunny and very hot during the day (in the nineties). So we pitched our tents as close to the tree as possible so that we are not woken up by the heat of the sunlight in the morning. However, shortly after, we saw a raccoon walk down the tree heading to the open car trunk where we had all our food. And following it closely was another. And another. Just like that, a family of raccoons had descended down on us. We decided that pitching our tent next to the tree was not a good idea after all, and decided to move as far away from the tree as possible.

A raccoon family decided to join our party

Day 2 Saturday, 31 Aug 2013

We woke up in the morning to find out that the raccoons were not the only ones sharing our campsite. In fact we were right next to the home of the pocket gopher.
A pocket gopher cleaning its home
After a breakfast of oatmeal and bagels, we headed out for our hike to the Bear gulch area. It was a hot day and it wasn't too surprising that we were the only hikers on that trail.

Hike from the main campground to Bear Gulch area

Our first view of Pinnacles
The park gets its name from the rock formations created by erosion of ancient volcanic eruptions. We finally got to the Bear gulch area (where you can also get to on a shuttle from the main visitor center, if you don't want to do the hike). A short hike from there took us to the Bear gulch caves. These are talus caves formed not from limestone erosion but from falling rocks. The caves are open only part of the year, since they are a breeding ground for several species of bats during the rest of the year.


Bear gulch cave which is breeding ground to several species of bats

The trail inside the cave is well maintained
Just outside the Bear gulch cave is the Bear gulch reservoir which was a good lunch spot for us.
Bear gulch reservoir

That rock looks like a face!
Once we got back to the Bear gulch area, we decided to take the shuttle back to our camp. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the shade, playing gin rummy (a card game), and cooking pasta for dinner. After dinner, Brendan and I decided to do a night hike. The ranger at the visitor center had suggested doing the hike in the evening to the Condor gulch overlook, where if you are lucky, you might be able to spot California condors. By the time we headed out for our hike, it was pitch dark and I am sure the condors had gone to bed. We drove to the Bear gulch area, parked my car and started our night hike. It took some effort finding the trail head since it was absolutely dark and there was nobody around. The hike turned out to be a fun adventure where we were able to meet with a few nocturnal inhabitants of Pinnacles.


A tarantula - it was photo shy
The scorpion king!

A Jerusalem cricket, also commonly called a potato bug.
We got to the overlook but were not able to see anything since it was pitch dark. Well, except for the beautiful star studded sky above.

Day 3 Sunday, 1 Sep 2013

A pleasant surprise in the morning included deer grazing and wild turkeys crossing, right next to our campsite.
Wild turkey run!
We wanted to do another hike before heading back home. We decided we would hike up to the Condor Gulch overlook once again. But this time in the day to see what we were staring at, the night before.
The zig zagging Condor gulch trail - view from the Condor gulch overlook
Hiking the same trail during the day was a whole different experience. No tarantulas or scorpions. But we the views around were great. We had walked the same path, a few hours ago, completely oblivious to what lay within a few feet from us.
Another view of Pinnacles from up closer
The view from the Overlook was great. It was a panoramic view of a large section of the National Park.

That was the end of another fun camping trip. I would love to go back there in spring when the park is supposed to be covered in wildflowers.



San Simeon Camping trip

It was time for a weekend getaway and Tapan, Heeral, Liya and I decided to go camping in San Simeon located just south of the Hearst Castle:  San Simeon Creek Campground

Friday, June 28, 2013

We drove up the 5 freeway and took California 46 through Paso Robles to get to San Simeon.
Oil wells along the road. It looked like a scene from War of the Worlds.

We stopped on the way to see the last rays of the sun setting over the Pacific
We got to our campground well after dark. While I thought I had reserved the luxurious San Simeon Creek Campground with its flush toilets and showers, we realized the site I had reserved was in the sister campground, the more primitive Washburn, with no such luxurious elements. Well that wasn't the first surprise of the day. I had thought the campground was by the ocean. Only a little while earlier Heeral had enlightened me that we were going to be roughly two miles inland which meant that a stroll on the beach in the early morning would be a little more effort than what I had hoped for. Oh well. We were nevertheless excited about our trip and such minor inconveniences did not dampen our spirits.

Now was the challenging part. Cooking dinner and setting up our tents in the dark. These were two activities at which we had failed pretty miserably in our previous camping trip together at Yosemite. At least there was no snow to shovel in San Simeon or bears to look out for, and Tapan and Heeral had ensured there was no technical fault with the gas stove by checking it at REI before renting. And so in no time, we were able to set up our tents and cook hot Maggi for dinner! We were becoming seasoned campers.

The rest of the evening was spent watching the star studded sky and listening to the ocean waves (though Heeral might still argue the sound we heard was from the vehicles on Highway 1 but I like to disagree).

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Our campsite. It was in a wide open location with tons of space between campsites giving us our privacy
It was great to wake up in the morning with a view of the surrounding hills
After a breakfast of oatmeal and preparing bagels sandwiches for lunch, we decided to hike the San Simeon Creek trail which passed through our campground. It was an easy trail of about 3.5 miles.
Horses grazing along the trail

San Simeon Creek Trail started in the barren hills near our campsite


It then passed through a dense green jungle

The trail passed through changing scenery finally leading to the ocean
The final stretch before hitting the San Simeon beach was through marsh land

San Simeon Beach where we had our bagel sandwich lunch and a siesta

The hike back to the campsite was hot. We were ready to relax in the shade by our campsite. And no sitting in the shade is complete without playing a game of cards.

We then headed to the town of Cambria to check out the little down, get some coffee and do some hiking/strolling along the beach.
Cambria seemed a happy little beach town

The Fiscalini Ranch Preserve trailhead overlooked expensive-looking mansions along the Pacific Coast.
A bench with a view and a pretty view too
The California  coastline
Elephant seals basking in the sun

On the evening schedule, was a game of Settlers of Catan. A game I had heard Tapan talk so much about, but hadn't had the chance to play. It kept up to the expectations.
Settlers of Catan: We began playing when it was bright and dandy.
And ended beyond nightfall
After a delicious dinner of pasta, we had the last challenge to complete before convincing ourselves that we were seasoned campers: Lighting a campfire (and without the use of lighter fluid).

The proof is in the pudding and a picture speaks a thousand words

Sunday, June 30, 2013
It was time to pack our tents and head back south. But before that we had one last hike on our agenda. We decided to visit the San Simeon Pier and hike from San Simeon Bay to San Simeon Point .

San Simeon Pier
Hike through a eucalyptus forest that creaked in the wind
The haunted forest.
No hike is complete around San Simeon if it does not end with pretty views of the ocean.

Mammoth Lakes Camping: Memorial Day 2013

I had never appreciated the value of a long weekend during my grad school days. But now I do. So a Memorial Day weekend meant doing something different. Sudarshan, Brendan and I were up for a camping trip. We had a 'Google hangout' session to narrow down a location and book a campsite. Considering we started looking for a campsite so close to a very popular camping weekend, our options were limited. So I was surprised to find campsites available in Mammoth Lakes, one of my favorite places to visit, with its pretty views, hidden lakes, and tons of hiking trails. Only when I checked the weather forecast did I realize why that was the case. It was going to be in the 40s during the night with some snow still sticking to the ground. While it might not be as bad as pitching a tent in snow, it was definitely going to be cold. So only the brave were willing to camp in these conditions and of course we were brave.

Day 0: Friday, 24 May 2013




Sunset at Lake Diaz on the 395. Remi, Xing, Brendan and I waited for Sudarshan and Chrissy to catch up

Day 1: Saturday, 25 May 2013
It was cold in the morning when we woke up! 
The tall trees of the Sierras make you feel small
My humble attempt to make a fire in the morning did not work out.  I had to resort to the only method I know to keep it burning: using lighter fluid. Fortunately, Brendan knew the art and was able to create a real fire.



Duck pass trail: The trail head was at our campsite. We were to hit Skelton Lake and Barney Lake before getting to Duck Lake.

There was a lot of snow on the ground even though it was the end of May. 

Our first lake/pond. It was pretty. But then after seeing Lake Skelton we realized this was just stagnating snow melt

Skelton lake - It was gorgeous; a hidden gem isolated from tourists visiting Mammoth
Our motley crew
Most long hikes, we get to the destination, spend a few minutes there and head back. But this time was different. We spent a couple of hours or so basking in the sun, relaxing which was really nice.
Another view of the lake from a higher point. We had to turn back after this point because the trail was snowed in.
We went to the Mammoth visitor center to find out about the hot spring near the church but were instead redirected to this Hot Creek geological site. It was colorful but we could only see it from a distance. The very windy and cold conditions convinced us that soaking inside a hot spring was a better idea than viewing one from a distance .

A closeup of the  Hot Creek geological site. 
The secret hot spring : Make a left from the 395 just before the church (after the airport, while driving south) and turn right immediately after the third cattle crossing.

The location is just perfect. A vast expanse of a meadow surrounded by the Sierras  all around.

Salad and pasta for dinner! 

Some hiking, a dip in the hot springs, hot food and a campfire - a perfect day
Day 2: Sunday, 26 May 2013
What comes after a pile ? The Devil's post-pile
The hexagonal shaped columns is a demonstration of mathematics in nature
Rainbow falls: This time we could actually see the rainbow that gives this falls its name! 


The first of the three Inyo craters. There is water in crater one and two.
Mammoth mountain in the distance. A couple of months ago, we were skiing down those very slopes.


The second crater and the forest that surrounds it.


Deer mountain: Brendan and I wanted closure. How could we turn back after seeing two of the three Inyo craters? So we decided to trek to the top of deer mountain. We did manage to see a family of deer while up there. 

Day 2: Monday, 27 May 2013
Lake Mary in the morning
Convict lake
Ending the trip with lunch at Erick Schat's bakery in Bishop: A bakery paradise