The northern shore of Bartolomé Island is beyond picturesque. Although it is only a half square mile in size, this unpopulated islet is packed with geological features. These include a lava cliff radiating with colors (left), an extinct volcanic cone (center), a wonderful beach flanked on both sides by water and a unique, arrowhead-shaped wedge called Pinnacle Rock. The top of the 374 foot hill is reachable by climbing 372 wooden steps along a half mile path named Summit Trail. The panoramic view of neighboring islands from the top is worth the hike. The island’s namesake is Bartholomew Sulivan. He was a British naval officer aboard the HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin’s voyage to the Galápagos from 1831 to 1836.
