Pinnacle Mountain Trail

The Pinnacle Mountain Trail climbs to the highest accessible point in the South Carolina state park system—the 3,425-foot summit of Pinnacle Mountain, rising 2,540 feet from the trailhead in just under five miles. The ascent is relentless and demanding, following the backbone of the Blue Ridge escarpment with sustained steep climbing through chestnut oak, mountain laurel, and blueberry heath. The final ridge approach traverses open granodiorite with panoramic views in all directions before reaching the wind-swept summit.

From Pinnacle's summit, the view encompasses the full scale of the Blue Ridge escarpment—one of the greatest topographic breaks in the eastern United States, where the mountains drop nearly 2,000 feet to the Piedmont plateau in just a few miles. Table Rock Mountain's familiar flat top is immediately visible below and to the east. The Jocassee Gorges—a 32,000-acre network of protected wilderness gorges considered the biologically richest area east of the Mississippi—spread across the view to the north and west. Several rare southern Appalachian endemic plant species grow on the summit outcrops, including Heller's blazing star and spreading avens. The Foothills Trail intersects near the summit, and its white blazes mark the route for much of the upper section.