While San Benito County officials prepare for an influx of visitors for the Pinnacles National Park redesignation ceremony on Feb. 11 at the east entrance visitors center, officials in a community along the west entrance are making plans to promote their own community as a Gateway to the new national park.
Soledad’s city council has been working with a marketing firm for several months to advise a plan to advertise the city as a park entrance. City officials also approved a sign declaring the city as “Gateway to the Pinnacles” that they say should be installed within the next month.
San Benito County Supervisor Jerry Muenzer said he has been in talks with other agencies such as the Hollister Downtown Association to discuss putting together a committee to brainstorm ideas on how to market San Benito County in light of the new national park status.
“San Benito may be the place to come play,” he said. “We have Hollister Hills, a national park an hour from the coast so people can come to Monterey and Santa Cruz, then come inland a little bit. They can come to the park, come to Hollister Hills, hit our wine trail and hopefully we will get Clear Creek to open up again.”
Muenzer said there is room for multiple gateways to Pinnacles.
“You have a certain number of people who will go to the west and certain number that will go to the east side,” he said. “If someone is coming down from the Bay Area they are going to come through San Benito. If they are coming up the coast or 101 south they will probably turn at Soledad.”
Muenzer said the east side of the park, which is accessible from Hwy. 25 through Hollister, has amenities that are not found on the west side such as the caves, rock climbing, camping, the campground store and a vantage point to view condors.
“We have a lot of selling points,” he said.
Muenzer said he was “thrilled” the dedication will be on the east side of the park.
“I was worried it might end up being on the Westside,” he said. “They just had a new multimillion dollar center built.”
Debbie Taylor, president/CEO of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, said she is glad San Benito County is part of the official ceremony.
“I’m glad we are a part of what is an official celebration,” she said. “I’m glad Soledad is doing what they are doing. We have a common goal to promote this as a national park.”
She said the dedication allows a chance to showcase more of San Benito to out-of-town visitors, including those invited to a private reception at San Juan Oaks after the redesignation ceremony.
“I can’t say how ecstatic we are about this,” Taylor said.
