Pilot Mountain State Park is located in the western part of our state, north of Winston Salem. It's main feature, Big Pinnacle can be seen for miles on the highway and the park covers a total of 3703 acres. It had been inhabited by local native Americans before the revolutionary war, until Britain allied with the Cherokee and they pushed the local natives out. The park was declared a state park in 1968. Because of the natural wildlife within the park, the Big Pinnacle (shown right) is no longer allowed to be climbed or hiked due to birds nesting on it. I visited the park a few weeks ago to spend the day rock climbing and hiking. The weather was nice to start, but ended with some pretty heavy rain that followed us the entire drive home.
There was a local company there leading a climbing group of about 40 people. Companies such as these can make a lot of money because they the natural rock walls and accessible trails can be used without any cost. I felt that bringing such a large group of unexperienced people to the park area could be damaging to the trails, and the rock features.
At one point during the day a local guide hiked through the area where we were climbing and told us a few things about the wall. He also told me that the park recently changed directors and some new policies were coming. The director is an avid trail runner, and has been seen running frequently. Because climbers usually carry a lot of gear, and there is only one trail, the hikers often have to hike around the blocked areas and make unmarked trails. This can be a problem because the constant walking away from trails can ruin the natural landscape.
At the base of the park there is an old dairy farm. Throughout the day you could hear the mooing of cows from the distance. As well as the beautiful rock features and wildlife, the sound of the farm - without the smell - was pretty cool.
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