May 22, 2019 — This route starts out by following the Bear Gulch Trail, which leads through a lush section within Pinnacels National Park, the trail weaving under boulders, along a cliff, and through a tunnel. Unfortunately, the Bear Gulch Caves section of the trail was closed to protect bats during my visit, but the alternate route was gorgeous nonetheless. The trail ends at a reservoir after climbing a narrow ladder. The North Chalone Peak continues from here, heading south on the east side of the reservoir. The trail mostly follows the ridgeline, passing two cattle gates and only partially following a dirt road, to North Chalone Peak, where a lookout tower sits. There are some nice views toward the High Peaks to the north along the way. I decided to also head over to South Chalone Peak, the junction easy to miss (it's just after the second cattle guard). The trail is far less traveled but was easy enough to follow, and despite the wet grass, I thought this section was the prettiest part of the hike. It wraps around North Chalone Peak's west side before meeting back up with the ridgeline and down to the North Chalone and South Chalone Saddle. I opted to take a minor detour to bag Middle Chalone Peak, but it's just a blip and not particularly interesting.
From the saddle, the trail wraps around to South Chalone Peak's east face and seemed to continue, missing the summit completely. I left the trail and followed a mostly clear of brush, steep slope for a couple hundred feet to the true summit.
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