WASHINGTON, DC – Pinnacles National Park is celebrating its first anniversary of becoming a national park today. On January 10, 2013, President Barack Obama signed legislation authored by Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, to elevate Pinnacles National Monument to become the 59th national park in the country. Since the elevation from monument status, Pinnacles National Park has been drawing new visitors to the region and pumping much needed tourism dollars into local economies. 

 

“California does a wonderful job marketing our shorelines to the world and few are as beautiful as Monterey Bay and Big Sur,” said Rep. Farr. “However, it is our national parks that draw the tourists inland. Pinnacles new status has been a big lure for visitors to the Central Coast, bringing them in to explore new parts of our scenic region.”

 

The park staff is still finalizing the visitation numbers for 2013. However, looking at snapshots of the year, Pinnacles has seen an increased number of visitors since Congress elevated it. April, which is typically the busiest month for the park, saw a 12% increase in the number of visitors from last year. In November, considered an offseason month, the park welcomed 40% more visitors than in 2012. 

 

"It has been an exciting first year for Pinnacles National Park,” said Superintendent Karen Beppler-Dorn, Pinnacles National Park. “We have seen a lot of visitors discovering the park for the first time, as well as many familiar faces. The park is truly a showcase of central California's natural and cultural resources. We look forward to many more years of providing opportunities for engaging visitor experiences that inspire and educate future generations about Pinnacles National Park."

 

The new status as a National Park has raised awareness for the Pinnacles across the country. In recent months, the new park has been featured in the travel sections of several publications including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Dallas Morning News and The Chicago Tribune. It was also the cover story for AAA’s Via travel magazine.

 

The increased number of visitors has boosted the economies of the surrounding communities. According to Jan Brosseau, owner of the Inn at Pinnacles in Soledad, the inn experienced double the number of bookings from previous years. She added that this was also the first New Years were the inn was completely full. 

 

In order to accommodate all of the extra bookings, Jan and her husband Jon have contracted out some of the work. They hired a local laundry service to wash the linens and increased the hours for an independent cleaning service. 

 

The legislation to establish the park passed both chambers of Congress unanimously because of its broad, grassroots support due to the positive impact it would have on the surrounding communities.  Located in both Monterey and San Benito counties, raising Pinnacles to a National Park had support from both Chambers of Commerce and Visitors Bureaus.  Ken Burns, director of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” also supports the legislation.

 

“Pinnacles has long been a special place for many here on the Central Coast,” Farr said. “Now that Pinnacles has taken its rightful place beside America’s other great parks, a new generation of visitors from all over the world will want to experience this unique and wonderful place.”

 

The park draws its name from the volcanic spires that were formed by the eruption of the Neenach Volcano over 23 million years ago. Established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26,000 acre Pinnacles National Monument was the 11th oldest National Monument in the United States.  

 

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