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This past week I visited Pilot Mountain State Park in the hopes of making a longer, more secluded hike.  I decided to try out an improvised 4-trail loop at a distance of 7 miles or more.  I started at the visitor’s center near the entrance and headed off down the Grassy Ridge Trail (1.5 miles, moderate).  This trail was basically an SUV road and provided enough level ground and width for riding a horse.  I found this trail lazy and slow.  I then connected to the bottom side of the Mountain Trail (2.5 miles, strenuous) at the parking lot on S.R. 2061.  I would not call this trail strenuous, but it is a long walk on a much narrower trail.  This trail terminated at the Ledge Spring Trail (2.0 miles, strenuous).  About 1/10th of a mile down this trail the Grindstone Trail (2.0 miles, moderate) splits off toward the camping area.  I liked this trail once the gravel walkway ended.  It was an easy walk to the middle of the campgrounds.  From there I road-walked back to the visitors center (maybe a mile or less) on a mostly downhill grade.  The entire loop took just over 2 hours to complete at a moderate pace.  A storm had just soaked the forest on the previous day, so hiking up much of the trail felt like splashing up a stream.  There are few, if any, water runoff formations on the trail, so the water flows straight down 50% of the trail.  Consider that before you go after a rainstorm.  (I must be spoiled from the Appalachian Trail)  I am going to write the park and suggest that they make a small connector trail from the campground terminus of the Grindstone Trail to the visitor center.  I think a lot of people would use this trail in the same loop I made if they constructed it.  I am pleased that I now have a pleasant 7-mile loop so close to home.  I would recommend trying this hike out some time.

As an avid hiker, I enjoy escaping the busy town atmosphere every now and again for some time with nature.  The closest place for me to do this in the NC triad area is at Pilot Mountain State Park just north of Winston-Salem, NC.  The park offers easy hiking for families, horseback riding, climbing, canoeing, fishing, and camping.  On the weekends it is teaming with people from all different walks of life including many bicyclers climbing the mountain on a long, stiff incline up about 1,400 feet from the base of the mountain.

Recently, I took Roxie, my active Miniature Pinscher, on a hike at Pilot Mountain.  I packed a lunch from Jersey Mike’s and set off for some altitude.  At the parking area (2,400+ ft) I could see in nearly all directions since the winter had stripped the leaves from the trees.  There was an overabundance of people - everywhere.  I found myself a bit closed in on the Overlook (0.1 miles, easy) trail, so I set off down the Sassafras Trail (0.5 miles, moderate) since it looked like no one was going that direction.  This small loop offered a bit more solitude and excellent views of Pilot Mountain from a couple rocky outcrops.  It was at one of these outcrops that I jumped the fence (yes, the trail has fences on it) and hiked a couple hundred feet out of sight.  Lunch was served here with an unobstructed view of Pilot, Sauratown, and Hanging Rock Mountains.

After lunch I hiked on the crowded Jomeokee Trail (0.8 miles, moderate) around Pilot Mountain.  Hoping for more solitude, I darted on to the Ledge Spring Trail (2.0 miles, strenuous) from there only to find it jam packed with other hikers and countless climbers every hundred yards or so.  Climbers were scattered all over the trail forcing hikers to bypass in the nearby brush.  Once I arrived at the start of the Mountain Trail (2.5 miles, strenuous) I jumped out of the crowd and headed down the mountain.  At about 1,600 feet on the altimeter I stepped off of the trail path and over a ridge to secure a secluded spot from the crowds all over the park trails, especially the shorter ones.  There I was able to lay out on my tarp and relax with a good book (see my review on A Walk in the Woods).

I recommend the trails at Pilot Mountain State Park for all types of people, especially those not concerned with the big crowds or lack of a secluded nature experience.  There are opportunities for more serious hikers on the longer trails such as the Grindstone, Mountain, Grassy Ridge, and Corridor Trails.  I will most likely stick to these trails in the future.