The most popular destination hike in Jackson State Forest is the one-mile hike to Pinnacle Peak. At 966 feet above sea level, this is the second highest spot in the park. For this trail you will want some good walking shoes. Sandals, flip flops and dress shoes are not suitable at all as this trail is quite rugged. It is wide, well marked and has a good surface most of the way, but there is a lot of up and down. It is a challenging trail.
Trail One is the trail that leads to this location, the trailhead is from the Pinnacle Peak parking area at the northeast end of the park. Just follow Main Forest Road to the end, park on the left. The Pinnacle Peak Shelter House is just ahead, a great place for a family gathering or gathering. There’s a playground, primitive campground, fishing at Knob Lake, and plenty of other trails here as well, so it’s a good place to spend the day.
The trail begins by climbing quite steeply to the Old Tower site, the first landmark along the trail. An old fire tower was here at one point, some of the old concrete supports still sticking out of the ground. At this point you will want to take the left fork, the right travels up to High Point, about a quarter of a mile away.
The left fork goes down quite steeply, 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. Then you will find trail 10 that comes from the left. A little later trail 10 exits 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 looks like the 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 will be climbing 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 path to the top. Once there, there are two main views. The main view overlooks the trail you just climbed. On the right, a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside, on the left, more hills in the park. In front is High Point. The other view is smaller, but impressive views of the neighboring hills. An interesting chestnut oak provides a low branch to sit and watch. There are some nice flat rocks to lay down on, and there is also a bench to sit on. It is a good place to take a picnic to eat while taking in the view.
Pinnacle Peak Trail basically passes through a forest made up mostly of oak chestnut, sugar maple, and other highland hardwoods. Wildflowers abound in the spring. The 300 foot climb passes through very pretty forest, along ridges and splits as you ascend to your destination, Pinnacle Peak. This is one of the best hikes in the Jackson State Forests.