Pinnacles National Park is a small park protecting the eroded breccia formations of an ancient volcano torn asunder by the San Andreas Fault in the California Coastal Ranges. It is known for its talus caves and rockclimbing.

This is the closest National Park to me in the San Francisco Bay Area (around 2 hours away), and to be honest, it's a bit of a difficult park to like. The formations, while interesting are not as dramatic as ones seen in the American Southwest, and many months of the year it is stifling hot and dusty or bone-chillingly cold (and dusty). Going at the right time however (Spring) and it can be absolutely beautiful, with wildflowers as far as the eye can see, and clouds playing multiple hues on the gigantic rounded reddish-purple boulders. A recommendation is to go from the West Entrance of the Park, and take the loop around the High Peaks, a bare-knuckle hike around the tallest of the pinnacles, climbing up and down boulders and going through tunnels and narrow crevice caves while watching California Condors soar around you.

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Modest Mouse - Heart Cooks Brain

From  theroguez!