Pilot Mountain State Park Campground — Pilot Mountain State Park

I have driven past geological knob numerous times in my NC travels, but this time I was able to visit. I usually travel 'by the seat of my pants' and hope to find an available site and being early week I was able to easily secure a site.

Of the 42 campsites, less than a dozen were filled, so I had my pick and chose site 25 just to set up and get on the trail before nightfall. Admittedly, I would likely not choose this site again because as a tent camper, the firepit was way too close to both the raised tent pad and the picnic table.

Each campsite has a raised timber, pea gravel tent pad, metal fire ring w/grill and a picnic table. Site 25 tent pad was 10.5' x 11.5' feet.  A water spigot was directly across the parking pad and one of the two showerhouse/restrooms were located a few yards beyond that. It was purely convenience that site 25 was chosen. Restrooms/showers were clean and maintained.

The trail up to the lookouts were dubbed easy to moderate, but they got pretty steep…although, well worth it.  You can avoid all the hiking if you wish and simply drive up to the lookouts. The views were worth the effort.

The new visitor's center is excellent and the displays were very interesting and informative. I mean, really, if it was good enough for Andy and Barney...its good enough for me!

Next visit I plan to stay more nights to explore the area.

Campground Review:  

Pilot Mountain campground is a smaller loop campground with 2 bathhouses (toilets and showers - with FREE hot water!).  Located not far from Winston Salem NC, Pilot Mountain has great hiking and beautiful views from the top.  We enjoy hiking, camping and enjoying the views, while others enjoy bouldering, rock climbing and mountain biking  - an outdoor adventure for all people!  

We camped at site #5 this time - on the inside of the loop, though we usually prefer perimeter sites.  We were excited to get out there and hike in the morning before it was too hot.  This campground is sloped, with rolling hills, which makes for a nice loop to walk dogs etc.  Our tent pad was perfectly flat, and dry and we slept with no fly - which made for a gorgeous morning sunrise!  

Our tent pad was also much lower than our campfire, which meant we could lay IN our sleeping bags and look out at the fire - which was awesome!  We did check out some other sites for next time - as we prefer flatter sites where we can walk more easily at night without tripping (so often) over rocks.   We also saw deer early in the morning!

We hiked to the top on the Grindstone Trail (about 2 miles) to the top and enjoyed an early morning view of the surrounding communities.  

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time.  Today I am reviewing Eclipse Sunshirts ( https://eclipseglove.com/collections/all-eclipse-sun-products).  I often dress my kids in long sleeve hiking shirts to protect their skin and was excited to try a unique sun shirt that I could wear - that wasn't skin tight!  I tested the Equinox hoodie and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I was hesitant that their products were one size fits all - but we have a medium, large and an XL in our family and we all wore the shirt and one point or another and  LOVED it!  (See how it fits us all in the pictures below!) 

The design is like a large sweatshirt - only their are holes under your arms and on your sides to allow circulation (and a little breeze!).  I especially liked the shirt when we were at the top of Pilot Mountain because there is limited shade, depending where you are standing.  I could see this shirt being useful on other hikes when we hike on balds and cross many peaks.  

This shirt was especially beneficial in direct, HOT sun (and it was a 97 degree day - so perfect opportunity!).  In the shade, I prefered to take it off, to allow more breeze and have less fabric touching my skin.  Without a doubt, moving back into the sun, I was cooler WITH the shirt ON than with the shirt off.  I have since used the Equinox hoodie when gardening, walking the dog and even at my school's field day!  For sun protection that does not involve chemicals, I cannot recommend it enough.

My husband and I just returned from a May visit to this campground. It is fairly small, 43 camp sites. No water and electric hookups which we sort of prefer as it seems to be less attractive to mega sized RVs with noisy generators. It was a ratio of about 75%/25% tents to smaller RVs when we were there. Camp site has raised level tent sites not concrete, but hard packed dirt. Also, picnic table and fire pit. The grill on the fire pit was adjustable for height to the coals which was kind of cool. Bath house was a little rustic but plenty of hot water. Firewood is available from the camp host for $6 a bundle. Cash only. If you’re not in good shape get a site above the bath house. Below the bath house involves a good little climb every time you have to go!

Best part of this campground is that it is right on the trail to the summit. The first trail is Grindstone Trail which is a 2 1/2 mile up and back. It’s a moderate trail with equivalent inclines, declines, and level switchbacks. I’m 63 and healthy and it was an appropriate challenge for me. To get to the summit it’s about a half mile of strenuous climb on the Ledge Springs Trail. That part is strenuous in my opinion.

You can also drive up to the summit where you get views of the Yadkin Valley and the knob of Pilot Mountain. It’s crowded up there but accessible for a wide range of people so that’s good. If you don’t prefer crowds go at the beginning or end of the season. Season runs May through October I believe.

Campground Review:

Pilot Mountain State Park is located in Pinnacle, NC, approximately 2.5 hours away from Asheville, NC and is known for it’s giant pinnacle, Pilot Mountain, that rises 2,000 feet into the clouds. At the base of a windy road leading up to Pilot Mountain lies the campground, approximately 2 miles from the top. This beautiful campground was centrally located within the state park and gave quick access to a wide variety of easy to strenuous hiking trails. Most of the trails leave directly from the campground. In addition to hiking, Pilot Mountain is known for it’s steep cliffs that give easy access to rock climbing and rappelling. There is a trail leading from the parking lot and traverses above the climbing area so you have quick access to set anchors from the top. Additional anchors are bolted at the top of most routes for easy top roping. The campground itself offered a fire ring, picnic table, and a man-made flat area to pitch a tent at each site. The sites were somewhat close together but we did not have any issues with noise during our stay. There were several clean bath houses throughout. Each one offered flushing toilets, and hot, running water for showers, all of which were free. There was potable water located next to the site and a separate area to clean dishes. Each site also had a ton of shade. Trees surround every inch of the park so there was plenty of space to hang a hammock and get relief from the burning sun. Most sites looked large enough for the average sized RV. The park’s host drove around checking in and offering $5 bundles of wood. The one negative draw back to this campground is that all the sites are on a slope so when it rains, most likely your campsite will too. The park does require a two-night minimum stay if camping over a holiday weekend. Also be aware that the campground entrance closes at 10 pm. You will not be able to enter or exit until the gate opens the next morning. The closest town is 10 miles away in case you forgot anything. Overall, would highly recommend this campground if you are looking for a great place to rock climb and camp for the weekend. We will be back!

Product Review:

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. During my climbing adventures at Pilot Mountain State Park, I got to test out three different Meal2Go packets from Greenbelly: Cranberry/Almond, Peanut/Apricot and Dark Chocolate/Banana (https:// www.greenbelly.co/products/meal2go?variant=19912486532). Let me start by saying how amazingly delicious these meals are. I’m a super picky eater and when I first saw cranberry and apricot, I had second thoughts about trying. Thank goodness my sense of adventure overcame my lack of tastebud exploration. The Meal2Go products are full of mouth watering flavor that I could eat over and over again which is crucial if spending time in the back country. They contain all natural ingredients and 1/3 of your daily nutrients. It lacked that chemical flavor most hiking bars have giving way to a natural tasting bar. They also had the right balance of chewy yet crunchy. Greenbelly designed these products with backpacking in mind. While we didn’t get a chance to use backpacking, it did supply a ton of energy for a full day of climbing. The one draw back I will say is the weight of the product. Since it was designed for backpacking, I was expecting it to be much lighter for what you get. There are two bars in each packet and the weight is 5.5 ounces. And while that doesn’t sound like a lot, it seemed heavier than my average backpacking bar. I will say though, I’d much rather be carrying slightly more weight in my pack if it meant I get to have a healthier/tastier option while rock climbing or playing in the back country. I would highly suggest checking out this product!