Balconies Cave — Attraction in Soledad

One of the most underrated national parks in the country. One of the hidden gems of the world. This park is so magnificent that you'll be blown away by how great it is! On my second trip, I went to the west entrance on Christmas Eve. I arrived at 11am and there was a lot of parking available. We took the Balconies Cave loop trail, a total around 2 miles or so. It is amazing, the cave is totally dark and you will be there in 5 to 10 minutes. It is a bit steep, but not too challenging. The most important thing you need is a flashlight or, better yet, a headlamp. There are so many great view points along the loop. There's even a trail for climbers. It is totally worth it to hike this adventurous but moderate trail. One our way back, we dropped by the visitor center, bought magnets. The Staff are very friendly and this park and facility is very clean and well maintained. Who says the East Entrance is better than the West Entrance? West entrance with balconies cave is awesome! I highly...

After staying in Monterey for the night, we decided to make a quick visit the following afternoon to West Pinnnacles to explore the talus caves. It was about a 1 hr and 15 drive from Monterey to the Balconies Cave Trailhead parking lot. Not much along the way, so grab some water and snacks before you go. Restrooms at entrance were the cleanest I've seen at any national park. Moving on, make sure you bring water, and flashlights with you. You WILL need them! Some people wore head lights to free up their hands for when passing through the talus cave area, and a couple people might say to bring a hard hat. But my husband and I and two little kids did fine without it.

The trail offered beautiful views of the pinnacles in the distance. It was short (2 miles round trip) and quite easy, but does require some squatting once you get to the cave portion. Watch out for your head, and stretch those thighs...

If coming from the East entrance, then the hike to the caves will be one of the longest hikes in this national park. The trail to the caves is not that hard and does not have any major steep elevation changes. Just keep in mind if you do the full loop and have kids; you are looking at about 6 miles of hiking. So factor that in for whine factor in toward the end ;-)

The caves are not that long but are still super cool. What you don't necessarily read is that the cave is made of boulders that fell into the canyon. There are only a few areas that need head lamps to be able to see where you are going. The caves are also not a place for those who have some mobility issues as there is some tight climbing areas...