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.

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Length

4.1 mi

Elevation gain

2,273 ft

Difficulty

Hard

Max grade

36%

Steepest mile

+964 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

2.0 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Surface

Dirt

Bikes

Horses

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

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Pinnacle Mountain Trail access — parking nearby, restroom. About 54 min drive (33 mi) from Clemson. 35.03202, -82.70029 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:10 a.m., the sun rises at 7:35 a.m. and sets at 6:57 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:22 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 22 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 12:53 p.m. — 6 h 04 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

Table Rock Trail — 0.2 mi
Stool Mountain Trail — 0.2 mi
Ridge Trail — 1.3 mi
Sassafras to Ceaser's Head Spur Trail — 4.2 mi