Hiking and camping at Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina

After spending some time in Virginia and visiting for the first time Shenandoah National Park, we continued our route south to reach North Carolina. We headed to Pilot Mountain State Park, northwest of Winston-Salem, to do a little camping and hiking.

We drove through North Carolina last year on our road trip to Georgia, but we didn’t really spend much time there. So I was really looking forward to camping in this state for the first time and being able to take some time to explore trails in the mountains!

We arrived on a warm spring Sunday and there were lots and lots of people at the visitor center. But I quickly understood why this park was so popular: overlooking the landscape, the particular shape of Pilot Mountain is a sight to see, and I too was looking forward to exploring the surrounding area!

A bit of history

At an elevation of over 700 metres, the mountain’s distinctive quartzite knob dominates the surrounding landscape and has served as a landmark for centuries. The Sauras, an indigenous people of the Piedmont of North Carolina, called it Jomeokee, meaning “Great Guide.” After their arrival in the region, European settlers also used the mountain as a guidepost, hence its name Pilot.

A remnant of an ancient high elevation plateau that the elements have eroded over a million years, Pilot Mountain is made up of two distinct peaks: Big Pinnacle and Little Pinnacle. Big Pinnacle (also called “The Knob”) is the tallest and is surrounded by tall walls of bare rock. From a distance, the mountain almost appears to be shaped like a saddle.

Pilot Mountain became a state park in 1968 so that the mountain and surrounding land could be protected from overdevelopment. The park has a visitor center, campground, and several hiking trails. It is also possible to drive to a parking lot near the top of the mountain. But as usual, I wanted to hike there, not drive there!

Here is an overview of our stay at Pilot Mountain State Park.

Grassy Ridge and Fiddlehead trails

As I mentioned above, there were a lot of people when we arrived at the state park (so many that the road to the summit had even been closed since the parking lot up there was full). It was also quite hot, so we figured that may not have been ideal conditions for a long hike to the top of the mountain.

So we opted for easier trails near the visitor center. The Grassy Ridge and Fiddlehead trails can be combined for a short loop starting from the visitor center, and allow you to explore the lowland pine and hardwood forest surrounding the mountain.

We expected this hike to be easy, but to our surprise there were some good climbs and descents on the Grassy Ridge Trail! Fortunately, the forest there was very pretty and we came across a few lizards along the trail (as Canadians, we always get excited when we see those!). In total, hiking these two trails allowed us to cover approximately 3 kilometres.

Grindstone Trail

After a good night’s sleep at the campground of the state park, we decided to head to the top of the mountain, via Grindstone Trail. This 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile – one-way) trail starts at the visitor center, but since it also runs above the campground, we started following it from there.

The temperature was a little cooler than the day before, but the trail seemed completely deserted (we only came across a white-tailed deer there). The climb wasn’t too steep, but it was steady. As we climbed we began to see through the trees the scenery of the surrounding countryside. We could even hear a rooster crowing, a good reminder that much of the land near the mountain is used for farming.

In the last metres, the trails winds up the side of the mountain and the climb is a little steeper. Then we crossed the road, and we finally arrived at the parking lot at the top. After these few kilometres in the forest, it was a little strange to arrive at a parking lot, but luckily it was practically empty. We were therefore able to enjoy the surrounding landscape in complete tranquility!

The summit of Pilot Mountain and its trails

Of course, the main attraction at the top of Pilot Mountain is its famous Big Pinnacle. This one seemed even more majestic seen up close!

It is not possible to climb to the top of the Big Pinnacle, but a trail of about a kilometre (0.8 mile) goes around its base and allows you to see its high cliffs up close, as well as the rare and fragile vegetation that grows there.

Otherwise, a trail of a few metres takes you to the summit of Little Pinnacle (it is from this place that you can get the most beautiful view of The Knob!) and another trail of 500 metres (the Sassafras trail ) follows a rocky ridge of the mountain, and also offers other views of Big Pinnacle and the Sauratown Mountains in the distance.

Ledge Spring Trail

After spending some time at the summit, we needed to head back down to the campsite. We decided to take another trail for the descent, just to vary the route a little. And I’m so glad we did this, because the Ledge Spring Trail was spectacular!

With a length of 1.6 kilometres (1 miles), this trail follows the base of the rocky cliffs to the west of Little Pinnacle. This steep, rocky trail felt like walking along a narrow rock ledge on the mountainside and offered superb views of the surrounding countryside. We weren’t at a high elevation, but it still felt a bit vertiginous!

Ledge Spring Trail eventually connects with Grindstone Trail, and from there we just had to retrace our steps back to the campground.

Camping

I enjoyed hiking in the state park, but I also really enjoyed camping there! The campsite is not very large (there are a total of 42 sites), doesn’t offer any services, but the sites are spacious and surrounded by large oak and hickory trees. Given the popularity of the trails, I was surprised at how peaceful and quiet the campground was.

We loved Pilot Mountain so much that we scrapped our plans to spend some time in Charlotte in order to extend our stay in the state park. Between going to town or staying a little longer in the forest, we chose the forest.

There are other trails (and other sectors near the Yadkin River) that we didn’t have the chance to explore, but it gives us a good reason to come back!