The park less visited...

[cavewoman]

I just took a trip to Pinnacles National Park yesterday and it was AWESOME.

It's located near Hollister, CA.

I'd hardly ever heard of it (and I like to think I know my NPs...)

It's small, and not on a usual route to anything.  It's actually best to visit in the _anytime but summer_.  The hiking was nice,  really nice.  They even have trails that go through talus caves.  This is what my username comes from, so yeah, I nerded out a little. 

The rock formations are neat.  They have climbing routes that are marked and trails that show you how to get to them. 

It was $15 for the day or $25 for a year.  We live less than 3 hours so I went ahead and bought the year (we will definitely be back at least once).

Anyway, we had such a blast.  I wanted other people near central CA to know about it.  But only cool people like mustachians (I kid, I kid).

Also I thought people might chime in with parks near them (national, state, or otherwise) that are lesser known but worth the trip.

Side note:  When I look for fun things to do nearby, I feel like everything really starts up in April.  Going to Sacramento in April to see the railroad museum.  Visiting the cave at our old job in April.  Tours that don't happen on weekdays until April.  I was really happy to find something that is outdoors and great to visit before April!

[FIRE me]

Definitely not a low traffic park, but have you ever been to Mammoth Cave?

I went there once when I was a kid, and once to take my kids.

The second trip was a few years before one of the Martian rover landings. I remember thinking that the cave pearls that I saw in Mammoth Cave looked just like the “blueberry” deposits found by the rovers on Mars.

[bacchi]

Not near me but I can vouch for its aloneness: Guadalupe NP. One reason is because there aren't many services -- you get a tent site and a water spigot. There's also no water in the backcountry.

Pinnacle sounds like great fun.

[cavewoman]

Definitely not a low traffic park, but have you ever been to Mammoth Cave?

I wish! I've read a lot about it though :-)

Lehman caves in Nevada is in Great Basin NP and it was one of the best cave tours I've ever had. The park was quiet too, billed as a great place for star gazing.

Carlsbad Caves was great too. Busy. But you can do self guided tours in some areas. We spent sooooo much time walking slowly and admiring tiny cool formations as we went. People kept flying by us. Some would stop and ask what we were looking at. . . a couple thought we worked there, Lol.

Not near me but I can vouch for its aloneness: Guadalupe NP. One reason is because there aren't many services -- you get a tent site and a water spigot. There's also no water in the backcountry.

Pinnacle sounds like great fun.

Funny I just mentioned Carlsbad, we were so close to Guadalupe! But we spent the entire day underground so we would have had to add another day for Guadalupe. Next time we take the extreme southern route we will have to check it out!

How cool, that's only an hour and a half from where we live! Thanks for the tip, I will for sure check it out sometime :)

I'm in the middle of a couple of great parks in the Santa Cruz area. Henry Cowell State park has a bunch of huge redwoods and some long looping trails (actually just went on a 5 mile run this morning). It's awesome but also pretty well-known. Not as well known in the area but also cool: Wilder State Park, which is a great flat running trail on one side that leads to a number of awesome cove beaches that nobody goes to because they're like 1-6 miles into the park. Pack a picnic and take your bikes and you can probably have a beach to yourself if it's not high summer. On the other side of the highway are the mountain meadow trails that give you an amazing view of the ocean. Lots of bikers/horses to watch out for on the trails though.

Even lesser known are Pogonip and Nicene Marks - they don't have the spectacular views or huge redwoods, but their trails are great to run/hike and much cooler (temperature wise) than Wilder since it's more canopied.

I just moved up here from San Diego and I'm just in awe at how lucky this area is to have so many trails where you can really get away from it all. In San Diego, you can pretty much see a road or housing development from every trail you hike, or hear the sound of cars.

We have friends near Scott's Valley, so those recommendations are great! We visit every few months. Sometimes we just hang at their house because that in itself is pretty peaceful!

I hope you visit Pinnacles soon!

[acroy]

NICE
I grew up in the 80's in So Cal, my frugal dad was a master at finding such places for family vacations. I remember it fondly and have pictures of Pinnacles.

[ABC123]

Just about any state park in Tennessee or Kentucky is going to be worth the visit.  Many of them have very nice lodges and cabins, for any of you who are like me and camping is just not your thing.  Outside of the super busy summer season, prices are really reasonable.  Most years, we meet up with DH's extended family at a state park cabin for Christmas.  We love hiking, and the kiddos love the playgrounds and other kid-friendly features.

[ohana]

Quoddy Head State Park in Maine.  Rivals Acadia, for sure.

Any place in Maine . . . .

[bognish]

Henry Coe state park is just a little north of Pinnacles and even less visited. Really nice rolling grasslands type terrain. Great for winter or spring backpacking or day hikes.

[DocMcStuffins]

Agree with maine, tn, and KY.  Favorite place in TN that I had never heard of but absolutely LOVE is outside of cookville.  It is called Cummins Falls.  The coolest place to go swimming and pack a picnic with the family.  It is about 2 hours from me (Lake Cumberland in KY).  All of the Mountain Trains in the Smokies are awesome.  Funny thing is the area has grown so much that most people go there but then never go into the national park to hike or enjoy being in the natural setting.  They just go for a new place to eat and watch a show and shop.  Crazy.

[Thinkum]

Man oh man are you making me miss CA! I am also reminiscing about a moto tour my buddy and I went on some years back where we hit up 5 NP's over 10 days! Here in Texas, I've been to a really nice spot called Caprock Canyons State Park in west Texas. It has some really nice red rock, little bit of elevation, nice lake, and the states official buffalo herd. Pretty cool place to go camp and hike. 

[trailperson]

Henry Coe state park is just a little north of Pinnacles and even less visited. Really nice rolling grasslands type terrain. Great for winter or spring backpacking or day hikes.

I used to go backpacking in Henry Coe every year in high school. Loved it.

Lassen Volcanic National Park way up in Northern California doesn't seem to get a ton of visitors considering how awesome and beautiful it is. Lots of cool volcanic/geologic things going on there.

[cavewoman]

Google images has some pretty sweet pictures of Lassen Volcanic NP.  Its a few hours away from Lava Beds National Monument, another place I've wanted to go.  Seems like a northern California road trip is in my future. 

I need to do a southeastern trip too!  I have a friend in Savannah GA.  Once I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway back up to CT from visiting her. We didn't stop much though :(
I'm also a big big fan of the TV show Justified, and silly as it seems, it made me really want to explore Kentucky a lot more. 

[Mtngrl]

Our "local" National Park is Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We were snowshoeing there the other day. They also groom the park road for cross country skiing this time of year. There's no admission during the winter months -- also no camping and no services, though the ranger station is open 9-4. There's a beautiful scenic drive and lots of hiking trails in the summer. They also have two campgrounds open in the summer.

[Parizade]

Isle Royale is officially the least visited National Park. At the same time it is the MOST re-visited (once you've been, you tend to go back again and again).

My personal favorite is Theodore Roosevelt NP up in North Dakota because it is so remote and there are so few people.

[trailperson]

My personal favorite is Theodore Roosevelt NP up in North Dakota because it is so remote and there are so few people.

My boyfriend and I have plans to go camping there this spring. I've never been there before but my friend recommended it and I'm looking forward to being someplace remote.

[Parizade]

My personal favorite is Theodore Roosevelt NP up in North Dakota because it is so remote and there are so few people.

My boyfriend and I have plans to go camping there this spring. I've never been there before but my friend recommended it and I'm looking forward to being someplace remote.

Be sure to check out the petrified forest (and turn LEFT where the trail splits)

[cavewoman]

Isle Royale is officially the least visited National Park. At the same time it is the MOST re-visited (once you've been, you tend to go back again and again).

My personal favorite is Theodore Roosevelt NP up in North Dakota because it is so remote and there are so few people.

I just did some google image searching and those look beautiful!! 

Our "local" National Park is Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We were snowshoeing there the other day. They also groom the park road for cross country skiing this time of year. There's no admission during the winter months -- also no camping and no services, though the ranger station is open 9-4. There's a beautiful scenic drive and lots of hiking trails in the summer. They also have two campgrounds open in the summer.

I did one of those tourist drive through trips in that park.  We were on a road trip from Denver to California and we moseyed south from Denver (looking to make the return trip not on I-70) and happened upon it on Hwy 50.  Because it wasn't planned, it was one of those special moments of awe.  We got there only a couple hours before sunset.  I'd love to go back.

[Dicey]

Wow! DH just informed me that he has four days off at the end of March, so Pinnacles, here we come! Thanks for the tip.

[michaelrecycles]

Glad to see some Pinnacles love. In the same county but opposite end of the spectrum, Point Lobos SNR is so popular on weekends that its parking lot overflows and you HAVE to park outside for free. And yet, we find ourselves in that crowd. The place is pure eye candy.

I've visited around 80% of the National Parks in the lower 48 over my short lifespan. National Parks are great in their own way but cost money (for car access) and are usually overcrowded during peak seasons. Also if you're trailer camping, National Parks and State Parks are probably your best option for trailer access.  Also, someone mentioned Lassen National Park above. I think Lassen is empty because forest fires have burned a lot of the park. It's probably my least favorite park to visit.

Considering all of this, I always recommend exploring National Forests which are typically free to access.  I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail a couple years back and discovered the charm of National Forest and BLM land. Overcrowding is rarely an issue and campgrounds are sometimes free (primitive camping is always free). Keep in mind that the most scenic spots in National Forests and BLM land require multi-day backpacking trips to reach. Below are my favorite spots that seem to be "less visited":

San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado
Indian Peak Wilderness (Boulderite haven)
Wind River Range (South of Yellowstone and Tetons in Wyoming)
Escalante National Monument

If you're really ambitious and want to backpack, consider researching streches of National Trails and then get out there. I'd be happy to recommend more specifics if you're located in a specific part of the country.

Awesome tips. I hope to build my outdoor skills and see some less traveled sites like you mention.

[yuka]

A little bit late to the party, but I wanted to point out for OP: Pinnacles has only been a national park since 2013 (thanks Obama!), so it's understandable that you might miss it. Before that it was a national monument. One of my housemates drives the two hours out there to go climbing almost any weekend we don't go to Tahoe.

Also, there are 405 national parks! I used to think that it would be cool to seem them all, but now I feel confident that it's not worth my focus when there's so much else to see in the world. And I say this as someone who picks layovers based on which hops put me over the coolest terrain for looking out the window as I fly (DFW <-> SFO = AWESOME).

[Dicey]

A little bit late to the party, but I wanted to point out for OP: Pinnacles has only been a national park since 2013 (thanks Obama!), so it's understandable that you might miss it. Before that it was a national monument. One of my housemates drives the two hours out there to go climbing almost any weekend we don't go to Tahoe.

Yuka, would you please see if he has any preference for east or west entrance? Also, I have some IHG Points to burn, "ciz we're not going to camp. Looks like the closest Holiday Inn Express is in Salinas? Is that a reasonable striking distance? From there, the west looks easier, but I'd go around if the payoff was higher. Thanks!

[yuka]

A little bit late to the party, but I wanted to point out for OP: Pinnacles has only been a national park since 2013 (thanks Obama!), so it's understandable that you might miss it. Before that it was a national monument. One of my housemates drives the two hours out there to go climbing almost any weekend we don't go to Tahoe.

Yuka, would you please see if he has any preference for east or west entrance? Also, I have some IHG Points to burn, "ciz we're not going to camp. Looks like the closest Holiday Inn Express is in Salinas? Is that a reasonable striking distance? From there, the west looks easier, but I'd go around if the payoff was higher. Thanks!

He's not around, but I feel quite confident that he uses the West entrance; we live in Monterey. So your Salina hotel would be a great place to work from. Based on hiking around, I'm guessing that Machete ridge is the best place to go. It's pretty close to the parking area if you go in a clockwise direction. I'll check with him when he comes back in tonight.

[bognish]

I moved from the bay area 7 years ago, so my Pinnacles memory is hazy, but I seem to recall that most climbing is from the east entrance. One of the caves is pretty close to the east entrance. Its not always open, so check first and bring a flashlight. Binoculars too, there were condors in the area when I was visiting.

Pinnacle might not hold your attention for 4 days, especially if driving from Salida each day. Consider a day sea kayaking Elkhorn Slough near Moss Landing for a change of pace.

Now I am missing CA...

[daveydinner]

I'm consistently amazed that Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California is ranked America's least visited National Park. I go up there every year and have the whole place to myself.

[yuka]

I stand corrected on pinnacles. Use the Western entrance and start with tourist trap and discovery wall.

[Dicey]

I stand corrected on pinnacles. Use the Western entrance and start with tourist trap and discovery wall.

Thanks for the updates, yuka!

And bognish, it's probably just a typo, but it could an internal message that it's time for a CA vacation. "Salida" is just north of Modesto, which is a long way from "Salinas".

I covered both places as a Sales Rep for many years. I know there's a ton to do in and around Monterey Bay. (I was lucky enough to "have" to be there every other week for a number of years.) Places like Pinnacles are where traveling salesmen never seem to have time to go, despite their best efforts to take in as much of the local scene as possible while in the area. DH and I just talked about it this morning. Since my birthday's next week, we're going to call our trip to Pinnacles at the end of the month my birthday present. We plan to spend at least three days hiking there so that we really get the feel of the place. Thanks for the input!