Description: In spite of seeing this enormous mushroom-looking mountain from afar (you can see it from the highway), we wanted to see it much closer. Therefore, we drove up a winding road to get to the top of where we were to view it. We hiked a little to get to an observation site, but it was worth it. What gorgeous NC landscape we saw, with Pilot Mountain being front and center. It is 1,400 feet above the countryside of the upper Piedmont plateau. This mountain was dedicated as a national landmark in 1976.
There is a 6-mile woodland corridor that joins two sections of this park. Both sections offer a lot of activities concerning outdoor fun. But it is the mountain part, which possesses the two pinnacles, that has most of the visitor facilities. The other section, the more primitive river one, centers around Yadkin River.
Besides us hiking and taking pictures at Pilot Mountain State Park, we discovered it had a lot to offer. The activities are the following: picnicking (three areas and a shelter for 35 people), rock climbing and rappelling (but you have to contact the park office about the designated areas for this), horseback riding (there are two trails), fishing (you can catch sunfish, crappie, and catfish here), educational programs (happens weekly), canoeing Yadkin River (it is 2 miles long and has one canoe access site), and camping (this park has 49 campsites for trailers or tents).
Pilot Mountain State Park is 24 miles north of Winston-Salem and 14 miles south of Mount Airy off Highway 52. It is located in Surry and Yadkin counties. The park hours are the following: November to February 8am to 6pm; March to October 8am to 7pm; April, May, and September 8am to 8pm; and June to August 8am to 9pm.
There is no admission fee to this park, but there are various fees concerning camping, group camping, firewood bundles, and picnic shelter reservations.
Close