1792 Pilot Knob Park Road
Pinnacle, NC 27043
336-325-2355
pilot.mountain@ncparks.gov
*PLEASE NOTE: 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.
Due to wet conditions the North River Section Bean Shoals Access road is closed. Trails remain open to hiking. Vehicles blocking gates or obstructing traffic are subject to being towed.
Due to wet conditions Bridle trails and Corridor parking lots are closed. Corridor trail remains open to hiking. Vehicles blocking gates or obstructing traffic are subject to being towed.
As part of a erosion control effort and to reduce visitor use conflicts, the upper part of the Grindstone Trail below the summit parking lot has been rerouted, effective immediately.
Hikers- The new Grindstone trail starts next to the picnic area, then leads downhill 1 mile to the Ledge Springs Trail. The blazes remain blue and the total trail distance is still 3 miles one way ending at the park office. It remains a better hike to start the Grindstone Trail from the park office. The Ledge Springs trail is now only the lower trail below the cliff line, it does not parallel the Grindstone at any point.
Climbers- The approach to the routes has changed. Temporary signage is in place while permanent signage has been ordered.
For top rope access to Chickenbone/Parking lot area: The access remains the same (the climber gate just below the registration kiosk). To access the bottom of the cliff, follow the Jomeokee trail (behind bathroom) to its first right hand turn to walk to the bottom of Chickenbone.
For all other routes and areas: Use the new grindstone trail adjacent to the new picnic area. Follow the blue blazed Grindstone Trail downhill to the new shortcut trail to 3 Bears Gully. Access all routes uphill of 3 Bears - such as the Big Arete, Amphitheatre, Black Rain etc. by walking uphill from the midway point of 3 Bears Gully.
A map of the new trail route is linked here: https://files.nc.gov/ncparks/maps-and-brochures/pilot-mountain-state-park-climbing-accesses-map.pdf
Also linked from the front page of our website as the climbing map
Last updated on: Sunday, January 12, 2020Each of North Carolina’s state parks has special events during the year and news about facilities, trails, staff and park supporters. And, visitors are frequently finding new ways to explore a park’s unique cultural and natural resources. Check these pages to keep abreast of the news at your favorite parks.
UNC School of Media and Journalism students produced a segment for UNC-TV that looks at how drones are used by researchers and park staff at Pilot Mountain State Park to track animal population.
Learn more about the scheduled prescribed burns at Pilot Mountain throughout the year.
Pilot Mountain State Park uses prescribed fire or controlled burns as a management tool to restore healthy forest and grassland communities and to reduce woody fuel in the event of a wildfire. Historically, most areas of the landscape of the Piedmont of North Carolina experienced low to moderate severity fires from lightning on average once every five years. Information gathered from fire scars and tree rings on Pilot Mountain indicate that fire was at least that frequent on the exposed portions of the mountain.
Park Maps and Brochures:
