South Carolina trails · Pinnacle Mountain Trail
Pinnacle Mountain Trail
A 4.1-mile out-and-back in South Carolina, with 2,273 ft of climbing. Reaches Pinnacle Mountain and other summit/viewpoint destinations.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 2.7 and mile 4.1. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Pinnacle Mountain (summit)
- Bald Knob viewpoint (viewpoint)
Heads up
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:36 a.m., the sun rises at 7:02 a.m. and sets at 7:59 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:25 p.m. (EDT) — 12 h 57 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.2-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 18 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:20 p.m. — 7 h 39 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Table Rock Trail + Pinnacle Mountain Trail + Carrick Creek Loop — 1.6 mi loop, 382 ft gain
- Carrick Creek Loop + Pinnacle Mountain Trail + Mill Creek Pass — 6.3 mi loop, 1,835 ft gain
- Ridge Trail + Pinnacle Mountain Trail + Mill Creek Pass — 8.0 mi loop, 1,021 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Stool Mountain Trail — 0.2 mi
- Ridge Trail — 1.3 mi
- Table Rock Trail — 1.4 mi
- Sassafras to Ceaser's Head Spur Trail — 4.2 mi