Located in central California, Pinnacles National Park is one of the more remote and lesser-known national parks. This park is famous for its dramatic rock formations and diverse wildlife, and is also home to the California condors. One of the park’s highlights is its talus caves, located on both east and west sides. On the more remote west side of Pinnacles National Park, you can find Balconies Cave nestled within the breathtaking rocky outcrops. The hike to Balconies Cave is a wonderful journey into the heart of ancient volcanic activity, with rugged cliffs, towering rock formations, twisted tunnels, and, of course, an exciting talus cave.
The hike to Balconies Cave can be done from either the East Side (where the campground is) or from the West Side of Pinnacles National Park. From the East Side, it is a 5.5-mile round trip. From the West Side, it is a 2.7-mile loop or 2 miles if you just want to get to the cave and back. The West Side and East Side are not connected and are about a 1-hour apart by car. In this blog, we will show you how to hike the loop trail to Balconies Cave from the West entrance.
Chaparral Trailhead (West Side of Pinnacles)
2011 Chaparral Drive, Soledad, CA 93960
36.491691, -121.209466
There is a small paved parking lot in front of the trailhead.
The West Entrance of Pinnacles National Park has set closing hours. Gate opens from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm
There is a fee to enter Pinnacles National Park. For up-to-date pricing, check out the park’s website. You can also use your America the Beautiful pass!
Vault toilet at the trailhead.
Leave your pet at home. They are not allowed on the trail!
2.7 mi R.T.
383 ft
Easy to Moderate.
Takes average 2-3 hours
Spring is considered the best time to visit Balconies Cave with mild weather and tons of wildflowers. Fall is also a good time to visit, with cooler temperatures and fewer crowds. If you want solitude, you can visit during the winter. However, it will be colder, and there is a possibility of rain or snow.
Regardless of the season, it is important to check the park’s website for current weather conditions, trail advisories, and closures before going.
Balconies Caves are subject to seasonal closure due to weather conditions such as high waters during or after storms. For more information, check out the park’s website.
In the spring, water levels in the cave can be knee-deep. So, be prepared to get your feet wet. Water shoes are recommended.
The trailhead for Balconies Cave is at the parking lot for Chaparral Trailhead and Picnic Area in the town of Soledad. We put the address and coordinates above. You should be able to use that to GPS your way there. Make sure you get to the correct trailhead. There is no through road connecting the East Side to the West Side. It is about 1 hour by car from one side to the other. The parking lot is a small paved lot. There is one trailhead, leading to a couple of other trails. It should be easy to find. Make sure to keep an eye on the time as the gate opens only from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm.
After parking, we made our way toward the sign for the trailhead. There’s only one here, so it should be easy to find. After a short distance, we came to our first split. Here, we went left to follow the sign for Balconies Cave Trail. Even though this hike has some decent shade in the beginning, it can get very toasty on a warmer day. Make sure to use lots of sunscreen. I was glad I brought my little umbrella for shade.
Soon after we made that left turn, Balconies Cave trail snakes under tall trees with hanging moss. It was quite romantic. This section is one of my favorite sections on this trail. The trail continues toward dramatic rocky hills and formations. The scenery was breathtaking. We couldn’t get enough of the stark contrast between the dark, ragged rock hills and the lush vegetation.
After crossing over the first wooden bridge, the trail ducks under the trees and weaves between the towering rock walls. It continues to alternate between rocky walls and trees. After 3 more wooden bridges, we came to the start of the loop on Balconies Cave trail. There is a small metal sign for directions if you need it. From here, if you go right (counter-clockwise), you’ll get to the Balconies Cave first. If you go clockwise, you’ll go up a hill where you might be able to spot the soaring California condors before getting down to the cave. We were excited about seeing the Balconies Cave, so we went right first.
Once we turned right, the trail became more beautiful. Along the way, we came across a couple of interesting rock formations. Soon, Balconies Cave trail led into an alley formed by mossy rock walls. This is the start of Balconies Cave. Make sure to have your headlight ready. The cave will get very dark as you go further in. To get into the cave, we walked along the narrow rock ledge toward a wide opening before scrambling down. By the way, prepare to get your mind blown. This whole area from this section to the end of the cave is just breathtaking.
After scrambling down the rocks, we squeezed through a narrow gap before reaching the metal gate, the official start of Balconies Cave. Once we walked through the gate, we found ourselves in a narrow rock corridor with multiple big boulders perched on top. Some boulders sit lower than the other. We had to squat down to scoot under. The corridor got darker as we went further. Along the way, we spotted a little garter snake and a frog hiding among the crevices on the wall. This section reminds us of the Chasm of Doom in Joshua Tree National Park.
The corridor leads into a big chamber with mossy walls. There are rock stairs with a railing heading toward a wide opening. Once we got out of this opening, we scrambled our way down to a small opening on the ground. This is the entrance to the second section of the Balconies Cave. This section gets really dark, so make sure to turn on your headlight in advance.
We scrambled our way into the dark cave. It can get very slippery, so make sure to wear hiking shoes with good traction. We also found some water here. This area gets flooded during the rainy season. The cave might be closed then. So, make sure to check the park’s website for the status. During the spring, water levels in the cave can be knee-deep, so be prepared to get your feet wet. We recommend bringing water shoes to change into. There are painted arrows along the way, so it was easy for us to find our way around.
Balconies Cave is one of the talus caves in Pinnacle National Park. One of the most interesting features of Balconies Cave is the unique rock formations that line the cave’s walls, similar to the natural balconies or ledges, hence the name. These formations, formed by the millions of years of erosion, give the cave an incredible sense of depth and perspective, unlike other caves such as Goshute Cave or Geronimo Cave.
After we scrambled through twisted passages of this awe-inspiring cave, we got to another metal gate. This metal gate marks the end of Balconies Cave. Now, if you want to continue on the full loop, which you should, continue to go outside the gate. If you want to turn back, you’ll need to go through the cave once again. Once outside, we made our way through a small creek, squeezed between some boulders, and reached the flat trail. From here, it was a short distance before we got to an intersection. Here, if you go right, the trail will lead to the East Side of the park. You’ll want to go left to complete the loop and get back to the parking lot on the West Side.
Once we went left, the trail immediately got steep. This is where most of the elevation of this trail comes from. This section of the Balconies Cave Trail is about 0.9 miles. It also has very minimal shade. We spent a lot of time at the Balconies Cave, so when we got out, it was closer to noon. So, the temperature was quite warm. It felt even warmer as the trail got steeper.
As we hiked higher, the scenery also became more beautiful. From the Balconies Cave Trail, we could see the fascinating pinnacles and rock formations that jutted up from the ground. This section reminds us of Chiricahua National Monument. By the way, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the California condors. We saw a few of them gliding in and out where the tall rock cliffs are, on the left side of the trail. Don’t mistake them with turkey vultures. There were a good number of turkey vultures here, too. Turkey vultures have white feathers lining the inside, bottom of their wings, while California condors have a triangular white patch along the inside, near their shoulders.
Along the way, there were a few side trails. These side trails lead to rock climbing areas. After a few zigzags, we reached the start of the loop. Here, we crossed the bridge and made our way back to the parking lot the same way we came in.
We loved our hike through Balconies Cave. Highly recommended. If you like this one, check out Bear Gulch Cave. It is another awesome hike and cave in Pinnacle National Park. If you love caves, Carlsbad Caverns is a really good one. It is huge, and you can explore by yourself or through a tour. If you love cave tours, check out Lehman Caves in the Great Basin National Park or Boyden Cavern in Kings Canyon. For lava caves, we love Tabernacle Hills Lava Tubes in Utah, Cave Trail at Craters of the Moon, or Kaumana Caves in Hawaii. It’s so much fun to explore!
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite head light! It's super bright and long-lasting. We bring this on hikes, caving, and more.
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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