Prewett Point Trail

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Like the rest of Pinnacles, there is an entrance fee to get into the park. Once inside the park, restrooms and water are available at the visitor center at the beginning of the trail. There are no services on the trail.

Prewett Trail is handicap accessible as the trail has been hardened allowing for wheelchair access.

The Prewett Point Trail is one of the newest trails in Pinnacles National Park, offering hikers the opportunity to enjoy sweeping, panoramic views of the High Peaks and Balconies Cliffs. The trail begins on the west side of Pinnacles at the West Visitor Contact Center. Park in the lot of the visitor center and head toward the visitor center, where you can pay the entrance fee if you don't have a park pass or have not done so already.

As you approach the visitor center, you'll see a 5 foot wide, compacted trail leading out into the fields past the visitor center. This is the Prewett Point Trail. The trail gently climbs along the hillside as it meanders its way out into the park. A large field sits below the trail and at roughly a tenth of a mile, there is a sign that tells about the Lyons family, who had a homestead in the area. The High Peaks begin to come into view at this point and you can see the fire tower on the top of North Chalone Peak.

The trail splits at the quarter mile mark, and you can either follow a narrower trail (3 feet wide) straight ahead or take the wider trail (roughly 5 feet) to the right. Following the trail to the right, you pass the junction of the Jawbone Trail, which drops off the right side of the trail and leads down to the Chaparral parking and picnic area. Continuing straight ahead, the High Peaks come into view, as well as views of the Balconies Cliffs. There are several pull outs in this area where you can sit, sometimes on a bench, and enjoy the views of the park. Take a moment to enjoy the views and see if you can see condors flying over the High Peaks.

At four tenths of a mile, the trail narrows to three feet as it wraps around the hillside and leads back to the split that you came to earlier. There are sweeping views all along the trail, highlighting the beauty of the area. From here, you can return to the visitor center or if you want to do more hiking, follow the Jawbone Trail down into the park.

Like most of the Pinnacles, you may see deer or turkeys in the morning or in the evenings in the fields below the trail. California Condors, Turkey Vultures, and many other birds may be seen flying overhead or perched in trees along the path.