Pilot Mountain, a metamorphic quartzite monadnock rising to a peak above sea level, is one of the most distinctive natural features in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a remnant of the ancient chain of Sauratown Mountains. The Saura Indians, the region's earliest known inhabitants, called the mountain "Jomeokee", meaning "great guide". U.S. Route 52 passes through the town of Pilot Mountain near the mountain, and the city of Mount Airy is some miles farther north. Pilot Mountain is part of the A.V.A Yadkin Valley, an American Viticultural Area comprising over 50 wineries, including a few wineries in the town of Pilot Mountain. Pilot Mountain has two distinctive features, named Big and Little Pinnacle. Big Pinnacle (also called "The Knob") has high and colorful bare rock walls, with a rounded top covered by vegetation, reaching approximately above the surrounding terrain. Visitors can take a paved road to the park visitor center and campgrounds, then up to a parking lot on the ridge. Trails from there allow access to the main Little Pinnacle Overlook and other viewing stations. Pilot Mountain is part of Pilot Mountain State Park, which extends to the Yadkin River via a corridor of land, and it is associated with nearby Horne Creek Living Historical Farm. The curved depression between the ridge slope to the Little Pinnacle and then to the round knob of the Big Pinnacle gives the entire mountain an even more distinctive shape from a distance. Other interesting rock formations are to the east at privately held Sauratown Mountain, and the higher complex at Hanging Rock State Park.
Reviews of Pilot Mountain State Park
7 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on October 24, 2021AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on October 08, 2018T-Mobile 5G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on June 20, 2022Easy access off highway, campground and park very clean. Site 38 is large and somewhat rocky which can be difficult with small children. Bathrooms are typical of NC State Parks. Great hiking available in the park. Plenty to do close by - we visited Mt. Airy and a farm in Dobson. There is some noise due to proximity to highway.
Nightly Rate: $15.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 38
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
It was a cool park and campground, however it’s more suited for tents. There are no electric sites and no dump station at this campground. They said we’ve have to pay at a private campground nearby. The sites are pretty close together. The Jomeokee home was pretty cool, but foggy so no views off the mountain. You can do a three mike hike up to the summit or drive to the top. We drove, then hiked. We did have cell service. Didn’t use bath house.
Nightly Rate: $20.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 29
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
The campground is a challenge to park your rig we were in site 27 a down hill slope but doable. Don’t arrive at night trees all around You are right below the mountain sunset from summit great new visitor center open Our gps took us to the secondary park location make sure you select the location in pinnacle pilot knob road weekends you have to use a shuttle $5.00 a person to search the summit mom and pop restaurant called Ohenry good
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 27
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We have been campground hosts here in October. This is not a big rig campground but Class C, smaller travel trailers, pop ups and tent trailers will fit in several sites. It is mostly a tent campground. The length of sites needs to be confirmed in advance by looking on the reservation site. Many parking pads are sloped front to back but relatively level side to side..
The bath houses are neat and usually well maintained by the paid park staff There’s plenty of hiking and kayaking opportunities here. Supplies, propane and groceries are available within 15 minutes drive. At least one RV dealer is within 30 minutes.
Water is available at several locations throughout the campground. Campground hosts can arrange for phone charging or other short term electric needs. Firewood is available.
Nightly Rate: $26.00
Days Stayed: 30
Site Number: 36
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We loved this park. We have a 19 trailer and had no issue driving around or parking it. The reservation website gives you all the information you need as to driveway length and width. Because it is dry camping, most guests are in tents and it is super quiet. The sites are very private, very shaded. The location of the fire rings, picnic table and tent pad vary tremendously because of the challenging terrain - it is very rocky! The entire park is one big rock and it is beautiful. The person who said you have to pay $5 for a shuttle to get to the top is wrong - campers can drive anywhere, including to the top. Shuttle is for non campes. From the campground, you can also just hike to the top too. It’s 2 miles moderate using outdoors rating system, if you don’t know what that it, it will then be a hard hike for you. People with vision or balance issues may find the hike extra challenging because it so rocky. There are other hikes but not as spectacular. Whether you hike or drive to the top, make sure to do the short trail that goes around the actual knob - it is amazing! The Yadkin River Trails are nice and easy but accessible only via a 6.5 miles hike (one way) or a 20 minute drive. The bathrooms and baths are older, clean, and have great pressure and hot water. There are no power outlets for hairdryer. We had one neighbor for two days that despite the great weather, he ran a generator almost all day. This is not a generator park and it sucked for everyone as we could not enjoy being outdoors. Don’t be that guy, learn to adapt to your surroundings and others.
Nightly Rate: $27.00
Days Stayed: 6
Site Number: 27
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 5G
Beautiful park. The trails and the visitor center were really busy when we arrived on a sunny weekend day, but the campground was surprisingly very quiet. We had no problem getting to our site with our campervan. Our site was flat and perfect, but we could see that many sites seemed more suitable for tents than for RV. Toilets and showers were clean. It was nice to be close to the trails leading to Pilot Mountain. Overall, a really pleasant experience.
Nightly Rate: $23.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 25
This is a great view to pass by when driving South on the Eastern coast. It's so beautiful from the road. Someday I would like to explore up close!
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Pilot Mountain State Park
Hours
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 15
- Last Nightly Rate
- 23.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 19.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 15.0
- Max Length
- 35 ft
- Max Stay
- 14
- Sites Count
- 49
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Rec Facilities
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Pull Through
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Back In RV Sites
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Potable Water
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Slide Outs
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Water Hookup
Campground
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