Some 23 million years ago multiple volcanoes erupted, flowed, and slid to form what would become Pinnacles National Park, leaving a unique landscape of chaparral, oak woodlands, canyon bottoms, rare talus caves, and towering rock spires teeming with prairie and peregrine falcons, golden eagles, and the California condor. Pinnacles National Park has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate precipitation. Several miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, the park experiences wider seasonal temperature variation in the local area, and on July or August days daytime temperatures over 100° F are not uncommon even though a bright sunny day can turn into a very cold night.