Pinnacles National Park warns about hot temperatures

Temperatures are soaring for inland locations on the Central Coast and there are concerns about the heat for visitors at Pinnacles National Park.

With a heat advisory in effect through Friday, officials are warning people to take precautions.

Pinnacles is known for its rugged beauty, but it gets really hot.

“The biggest danger I think is the heat. It gets very very hot,” said Eseranza Hernandez, Visitors Center Assistant for Pinnacles National Park.

Some people like Nate Field don’t mind the heat.

“I’m from the Northeast originally and I’m tired of the cold so I can’t get enough of this here,” said San Francisco resident Nate Field.

Field has been camping at the park since Tuesday. He said he plans to hike six to 12 miles. But, some people aren’t prepared for the sweltering temperatures.

Some hikers from Missouri told KION they thought it was going to be nice and windy.

Visitors are experiencing a wide range of temperatures. Alexa Avila said it was cooler and cloudy in the morning, but that quickly changed.

“I was just praying that there was going to be shade and like the shade is nice, but it was still really hot. Then we got in the cave and then I was like don’t, don’t get out. We shouldn’t get out,” said Greenfield Resident Alexa Avila.

“Almost every weekend we have a search and rescue for somebody that didn’t have enough water,” said Eseranza Hernandez.

Avila did not need to be rescued, but she said she didn’t bring enough water for the hot weather.

“I’d bring extra water and I would bring those cooling containers.”

Officials at Pinnacles National Park said you should bring more water than you need.

Other safety tips include salty snacks.