Ecology
Park Maps and Brochures:
Upcoming Events:
Bridle trails are closed to horses due to wet and unfavorable conditions. Trails will remain closed until sufficient drying has occurred. Hiking these trails is permitted.
Last updated on: Sunday, February 17, 2019Get plant and animal checklists at the park office.
The vegetation in the park is similar to that found in mountain habitats such as those in the Blue Ridge Mountains. More than 70 families of vascular plants grow on and around Pilot Mountain. In late spring, the Big Pinnacle is ringed with the bright pink blooms of Catawba rhododendron. Also abundant is mountain laurel, distinguished by its leathery evergreen leaves and showy clusters of white flowers. Typical trees include the chestnut oak, table mountain pine and pitch pine. Wild blueberry, huckleberry and grape can be spotted along the trails.
Listen as American toads, chorus frogs and spring peepers call from nearby pools. Numerous songbirds including the eastern bluebird, Carolina wren, brown thrasher and various warblers supply the woods with music. Watch for ravens soaring above Big Pinnacle. The raven and the pileated woodpecker are two of the rarer birds of Pilot Mountain. Other wildlife in the park includes red and gray fox, white-tailed deer, woodchuck, opossum, gray squirrel, raccoon, and several species of reptiles and amphibians.
1792 Pilot Knob Park Road
Pinnacle, NC 27043
336-325-2355
pilot.mountain@ncparks.gov
GPS: 36.341276, -80.462930
*MOUNTAIN SECTION:
- December to February:
8:00am to 6:00pm
- March to April:
7:00am to 8:00pm
- May to September:
7:00am to 9:00pm
- October:
7:00am to 8:00pm
- November:
7:00am to 6:00pm
Closed Christmas Day
*MOUNTAIN SECTION CAMPGROUND GATE:
- March to April:
7:00am to 9:00pm
- May to September:
7:00am to 10:00pm
- October:
7:00am to 9:00pm
- November:
7:00am to 8:00pm
Closed Christmas Day
*RIVER SECTION:
- November to February:
8:30am to 5:00pm
- March to April:
8:30am to 7:00pm
- May to September:
8:30am to 8:00pm
- October:
8:30am to 7:00pm
Closed Christmas Day
*PLEASE NOTE: The Bean Shoals and Ivy Bluff accesses at the river section are 10 and 20 miles, respectively, from the mountain section of the park and have different operating hours. Gates are locked promptly at closing. There is no gate entry before or after hours, including campgrounds, except in the case of a medical or law enforcement emergency. No vehicles other than those registered to campers may be left in the park overnight.
PARK OFFICE HOURS:
8:00am to 4:30pm – daily
Closed Christmas Day