The most popular destination hike in Jackson State Forest is the one-mile hike up Pinnacle Peak. At 966 feet above sea level, this is the second highest point in the park. For this trail you will want some good walking shoes. Sandals, flip flops and dress shoes are not suitable as this trail is quite rough. It is wide, well marked and has a good surface for most of the way, but there are many ups and downs. It is a challenging trail.
Trail One is the trail that leads to this location, the trailhead is from the Pinnacle Peak parking area, on the northeastern edge of the park. Just follow Main Forest Road to the end, park on the left. The Pinnacle Peak House of Refuge is just up the road, a great place for a family reunion or gathering. There’s a playground, primitive campground, fishing at Knob Lake, and plenty of other trails here too, making it a good place to spend the day.
The trail begins by climbing fairly steeply to the Old Tower Site, the first landmark along the trail. An old fire tower stood here at one point, some of the old concrete supports still sticking out of the ground. At this point you’ll want to take the left fork, the right travels towards High Point, about a quarter of a mile away.
The left fork descends quite sharply, be careful as this section is somewhat rocky and slippery even when the ground is dry. The trail goes back up, down and then up. You will then meet trail 10 coming from the left. A little further on, trail 10 starts to the east, trail one continues up a slope and around the hill.
You will eventually come to a point where you will see two posts with what appears to be a path between them. You can climb Pinnacle Peak this way, but the trail actually goes to the left. If you keep going straight here, you’ll go up a fairly vertical gravel cliff. The left fork is longer, but much easier.
The trail from this point climbs fairly steadily, curving behind the Peak, finally emerging for one last climb up a gravel road to the top. Once up there are two main views. The main view overlooks the path you just came from. To the right a stunning view of the surrounding countryside, to the left more rolling hills of the park. Straight ahead is High Point. The other vista is smaller, but stunning views of the neighboring hills. An interesting chestnut oak tree provides a low branch to sit and watch. There are some nice flat rocks to lay on, and there is also a bench to sit on. It’s a good place to bring a picnic to eat while you take in the view.
The Pinnacle Peak Trail basically passes through a forest made up primarily of chestnut oak, sugar maple, and other upland hardwoods. Wildflowers abound in the spring. The 300 foot climb passes through some very pretty forest, along ridges and splits as you climb to your destination, Pinnacle Peak. This is one of the best hikes in the Jackson State Forests.