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Highway 25: Hollister to Pinnacles, San Benito Valley, California
Photo: mr_write · CC BY 3.0 · cropped

Drives California Santa Cruz and Monterey

Highway 25: Hollister to Pinnacles

CA 25, Airline Highway · Hollister → Pinnacles

Leisurely29 mi40 min2,000 ft climbHigh point ≈ 1,500 ftOne way
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The drive

Highway 25 is the back way to Pinnacles National Park, and the drive there is part of the visit. Locally it's the Airline Highway. It leaves Hollister heading south, passes through Tres Pinos about four miles out and Paicines about five miles after that, then runs on down the San Benito Valley between the Gabilan Range and the Diablo Range.

This is ranch country: rolling grass hills, oaks, cattle and the odd vineyard, with long, easy curves and little traffic. The drive ends on Highway 25 just short of Highway 146, the turn for the park's east entrance. From the junction it's a short way in to the Pinnacles Visitor Center and campground, and the Bear Gulch area is 3.5 miles farther along 146.

Along the way

  1. Hollister (Airline Highway)
  2. Tres Pinos
  3. Paicines
  4. Pinnacles (north of Highway 146)
Elevation
2,000 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 1,500 ft
HollisterPinnacles
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
HollisterPinnacles
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Pinnacles charges an entrance fee per vehicle, paid by card only at the entrance stations; save or print a digital pass before you go, since the park has limited connectivity.
  • No road links the park's east and west entrances; the west side is reached from Soledad, by way of US 101.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Caltrans: Highway 25 conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive on Highway 25 from Hollister to Pinnacles?

Highway 25 from Hollister to the Pinnacles turn at Highway 146 is 28.6 miles and takes about 40 minutes.

Which Pinnacles entrance does Highway 25 reach?

Highway 25 reaches the east entrance: turn onto Highway 146 for the Pinnacles Visitor Center, then carry on 3.5 miles to Bear Gulch.

Can you drive through Pinnacles from Highway 25 to the west entrance?

No. No road crosses Pinnacles National Park, so to reach the west entrance from Highway 25 you drive around through King City and Soledad on US 101.

Is Highway 25 twisty?

Not very. Highway 25 south of Hollister is mostly long, gentle curves through open ranch country, an easy drive rather than a technical one.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Highway 25: Hollister to Pinnacles, from Hollister to Pinnacles