Car

One of the first things you need to decide when visiting Pinnacles is whether to arrive through the east or west entrance. There is no road through the park, although it's possible to hike across the park in an hour or two and to reach the key attractions—the High Peaks and two talus caves—from either side. If you've never been to the park, entering the east side is a good strategy as it contains the main visitor center and a convenience store as well as access to more trailheads. On the other hand, if you're making just a short visit while driving up U.S. 101 or looking for the quickest hiking access to the High Peaks, the west entrance makes sense. It takes roughly the same amount of time to reach each entrance, whether you approach from San Jose, the coast, or San Luis Obispo. The east side is accessed via Highway 146 from rural and scenic Highway 25, and the west side is reached from a different—narrow, hilly, and one-way in places—section of Highway 146 from the town of Soledad, just off the U.S. 101 freeway. RVs and trailers are advised not to use the west entrance.

To drive to either entrance, without heavy traffic, allow 1½–2½ from San Jose and the Bay Area, 1½–2 hours from San Luis Obispo County, and just 1–1½ hours from the Monterey Peninsula and Santa Cruz.

By car, to get from one entrance to the other, you must exit the park, and then drive about 75 to 90 minutes. The fastest and most direct route is to the south, via U.S. 101 through King City and Highways G13 and 25. A wonderfully scenic and adventuresome option, however, is to take unpaved but generally well-maintained La Gloria Road, which curves through the mountains just north of the park boundary. Your GPS may tell you it's possible to access La Gloria Road by cutting north through the western edge of the park, but this is not possible. Instead, from the western entrance, follow Highway 146 west to Soledad, take U.S. 101 north to exit 305, and follow Camphora Gloria Road north to Gloria Road, which becomes unpaved and rather rugged once it passes through Henry Sands Canyon. Continue another 12 miles, taking your time to enjoy the stunning views of the mountains and wine country, before turning right (south) onto Highway 25 and continuing another 4½ miles to Highway 146 and the east entrance. The whole drive takes about 90 minutes and should be avoided after rain, when La Gloria Road can become very muddy.