Home 
Article
Stone Temple Pilot: Spirits fly high at Pilot Mountain State Park.
If the only thing you know about Pilot Mountain is that it was the inspiration for "Mount Pilot," Mayberry's neighboring town on The Andy Griffith Show, you need to get out more often. Specifically, go directly to Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry and Yadkin counties. Because quite frankly, with all due respect to Mr. Griffith, the view from the pinnacles of PIlot Mountain kicks the crap out of the best Andy Griffith Show that ever aired.
The mountain the natives called "The Pilot" takes you to another world, rising 1,400 feet above the rolling valleys and the meandering Yadkin River, which lie like devoted worshippers at its feet. The mountain's most prominent feature is the rocky peak of Big Pinnacle, a 200-foot quartzite monadnock towering high above the forests, as a a constant contingent of ravens circles the summit like winged guardians, riding the thermal currents from the valleys below. A narrow saddle of land connects Big Pinnacle to the neighboring Little Pinnacle Overlook, which offers breathtaking views without a suffocating hike. A well-paved road winds from the main entrance of the park directly to the Little Pinnacle Overlook, making it accessible to people of any ability. From this overlook, you can see hundreds of square miles in any direction, across the mountains of North Carolina and into nearby Virginia. On a clear day, the towers of downtown Winston-Salem, 30 miles away, are clearly visible in the distance.
380,000 people each year visit Pilot Mountain State Park, which was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark in 1976. After years of being operated as a commercial attraction, Pilot Mountain became North Carolina's 14th state park in 1968 after a group of local residents and the mountain's owner, Mrs. J.W. Beasley, acquired the property and 1,000 additional acres in an effort to protect the area from commercial development.
Like the nearby Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain State Park is a remnant of the Sauratown Mountains, estimated to be approximately 350 to 400 million years old. Pilot Mountain takes its name from the area's earliest known inhabitants, the Saura Indians, who called it Jomeokee, the "Great Guide" or "Pilot." True to its name, the Saura, their Cherokee rivals who later forced the Saura from the region, European explorers and Moravian settlers all used the mountain as a guide for their north-south travel routes through the area. The mountain was first mapped by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, father of President Thomas Jefferson, in 1751.
Today the 3,703-acre park is divided into two sections: a mountain section dominated by Big and Little Pinnacles; and a river section that winds around the two Yadkin Islands (one 45 acres, the other 15 acres), both of which are an easy wade across the shallow river.
The park's two sections are joined by a five-mile woodland corridor that encompasses 11 hiking trails and three bridle trails.These trails range from an easy half-mile walk to the Yadkin River, to a strenuous 2.5-mile Mountain Trail that loops around Little Pinnacle Overlook and Big Pinnacle, to a 5.5-mile hiking/bridle trail. The most popular hiking trails are the Jomeokee Trail, a moderate one-mile loop that circle Big Pinnacle's base, and the Ledge Springs Trail, a strenuous two-mile path with rough trails and spectacular cliffside views.
While it is heaven for hikers, Pilot Mountain State Park is made for more than just footsloggers alone. Its river section has 38 canoe access sites and is one of the most scenic segments of the 165-mile Yadkin Rover Canoe Trail. Licensed anglers can fish for sunfish, crappie and catfish along the Yadkin's banks. Rock climbing and rappelling is allowed in designated areas (all climbers must complete a registration form and activity permit at the park office). Nature watchers will enjoy the rich diversity of wildlife, including pileated woodpeckers, ravens, warblers, bluebirds, wrens, white-tailed deer, woodchuck, opossum and red and gray fox that call the park home. Mountain bikers also use the steep main road to the Little Pinnacle Overlook for hill training.
The lower slopes of Pilot Mountain have 49 sites for tent and trailer camping. Another group campsite is available by reservation along the north side of the Yadkin River and two primitive campsites (no toilet facilities or drinking water) for canoeists are located on the larger of the two Yadkin Islands. The park also has four picnic areas: one near the summit parking lot, two near the river's north and south shores; and a covered picnic shelter accommodating up to 35 people (reservations are suggested).
Visitors can learn more about the area through ranger-conducted educational programs designed to comply with North Carolina high school curriculums and explore its agricultural past at Horne Creek Farm, a state historic site in the Yadkin River section of the park restored to its 1900-era appearance.
So any time you feel like be transported to another world that's not a world away, set a course straight to Pilot Mountain State Park.
For park hours, fees and additional information, please contact:
Pilot Mountain State Park
1792 Pilot Knob Park Road
Pinnacle, NC 27043
336-325-2355
Fax 336-325-2751
pilot.mountain@ncmail.net
ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ncparks.html
Directions:
Pilot Mountain State Park is located in Surry and Yadkin counties, 24 miles north of Winston-Salem and 14 miles south of Mount Airy.
To the mountain section:
Take US 52
Turn at the Pilot Mountain State Park exit
Travel west into the mountain section of the park, where the park office is located
Take US 52
Turn at the Pinnacle exit
Follow the signs to Horne Creek Farm
The park entrance is approximately .4 miles past the farm
To the south river section (Surry County):
Take NC 67 to the town of East Bend
From Main Street, turn right on Fairground Road
Turn right on Shady Grove Church Road
Turn right on Shoals Road, and follow it to the park
