The weather is perfect, the flowers are vibrant and spring has
officially spread its welcoming arms across San Benito County.
The weather is perfect, the flowers are vibrant and spring has officially spread its welcoming arms across San Benito County.
With these perfect conditions in place, people from all over are flocking to the one spot where the wildflowers seem more beautiful and the air seems more crisp – Pinnacles National Monument.
“Spring is the time to be here – it’s spectacular,” said Bruce Beyaert, a resident of Richmond, Calif. who travels to the county every year to partake in the Pinnacles’ natural beauty and relaxing atmosphere.
Bruce and his wife, Sandra, prefer to visit the park during the week to bypass the throngs of people who pepper the trails, caves and cliffs on the weekend.
“This is wonderful, nobody’s here,” Bruce said. “People should take a day off and come here.”
More than 30 miles of trails are available to visitors, ranging from fairly flat and easy loops to steep wilderness terrain – running the gamut for hikers of all experience levels, according to the park’s Web site.
After traveling to San Francisco from Devonshire, England to see their newborn grandchild, Ruth and Dick Hall stumbled upon the Pinnacles in a guide book and decided to get out of the city for some scenic sites.
The couple enjoys doing a lot of walking in their native Devonshire, which boasts of hiking trails interspersed in the gentle rolling hills. They found Pinnacles to be the perfect place to get in some exercise with a taste of home, Ruth said.
“We walked all the way over the top today and he saw a snake and I saw a condor flying around,” Ruth said. “We’re having a great time. We’ve come a long way for this.”
The heavily-scaled volcanic breccia rock at Pinnacles lures climbers from near and far. The Pinnacles can be enjoyable for both neophyte and accomplished climbers, but the proper precautions must be adhered to in every instance.
Anyone planning on climbing Pinnacles should visit the park’s Web site for more information or speak with a member of personnel at the park first.
The Pinnacles also has educational programs for students that offers free, ranger-led education programs for fourth- through eighth-graders, according to the Web site.
Students can be introduced to the California condor through the park’s “Wings on the Wind” program, or teachers can access lesson plans for an introduction to endangered species, according to the site.
The park requests that reservations be made in advance, and can be done so on the Internet.
Taking a vacation to the park can be a great excuse to get away from a hectic work schedule or strenuous situation, but for Hollister residents Martha and Carl Azevedo, it’s almost a necessity to surround themselves as much as possible with the tranquil ambiance the park provides.
“We’ve lived here for 11 years, and almost everyone we’ve talked to in Hollister hasn’t come here yet,” Carl said. “Myself, I try to get up here once a month, at least. It’s a great place to come.”
Witnessing the phenomenon of Mother Nature through the changing seasons at the park is one of Carl’s favorite pastimes, he said.
The rainy season imbibes the park’s waterfalls with a new kind of magic, and spring brings with it flocks of migrating birds and chromatic wildflowers sprouting along the well-beaten paths.
“It’s nice to get away – like a mini vacation,” Martha said. “It’s a great place to be.”
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/pinn/
