Pilot Mountain rises 1400' feet all by itself out of the piedmont north of Winston-Salem. Obviously it's a very prominent landmark and was used as a "pilot" by Indians and early European settlers. The Indians called it Jomeokee, the pilot. By the way, do you realize that the Empire State Building, in New York City, is almost as tall? Just imagine it standing on the piedmont, too. It would come up to the cliffs on the pinnacle.
Road to the Summit You can drive to the Summit Parking Area, near the top. From there, you can walk to the top of the Little Pinnacle, where you can view the Big Pinnacle up close. The Big Pinnacle, however, is surrounded by 200' high cliffs, so you can walk to it's base, but not to its top. The Jomeokee Trail goes around the base of the cliff. I wonder if there's any perhistoric life up there in the forst on the top of the isolated pinnacle? Guide to the Summit Area Summit Parking Area Summit Area The View from the Top The town of Pilot Mountain is barely visible in the photo. Those are clouds on the horizon. The Blue Ridge is about 25 miles away to the left and is barely visible (but not in this photo). Another nearby town is King, North Carolina, which to the right of the photo. The highway (north is towards the left) goes on up to Mt. Airy. The whole area is the setting for the ficticious town of Mayberry, North Carolina, from the Andy Griffith Show. Mt. Pilot was the ficticious big city they always spoke of in Mayberry.
Hiking Around the Summit At the Base of the Big Pinnacle Our Campsite Just as I've come to expect from state parks, in contrast to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the campground was very nice and the rangers were very friendly. Unfortunately the road to the summit closes after dark. The summit would be a great place to look at stars.

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Camping Page / Family Homepage / Dec. 4, 1998