Make sure you wear shoes with great traction and ankle support. The trail is very rocky and steep but rewarding.
We had a family picnic/outing at Pinnacle Mountain State Park to celebrate my husband's birthday. All of our children, who live nearer to Little Rock than we do, met us at the visitor's center to check it out, then we drove down to the Arkansas Arboretum to take a nice afternoon walk. The park was beautifully maintained and all of the staff was very friendly and helpful, making sure we enjoyed our experience.
Myself and a friend of mine was in town for a two week school so through word of mouth we decided to hit the peak up one afternoon. Everyone we met was super friendly. Absolutly enjoyed the hike up. We left with a story of adventure I can bring back to N.Carolina! This is a great place to rip the kids away from the video games and get them to living out their childhood!
We hiked up the easier West side and climbed down the tougher East side, then walked around the base loop. It was a fun workout, crab crawling down the rocks. The trail is 3/4 mile. For those who don't want to climb, there is a nice picnic area and new bathroom facility (looks like it will be completed soon) porta potties and a paved walking trail at the base/park in lot.
Just a short drive from little rock this tiny mountain offers well marked trails and great views. Around the base are picnic and fishing areas great for a family day.
There are two ways to get to the top of pinnacle: the hard way, and the extra hard way. Both are great, the hard way starts in the park and the extra hard way is around the other side of the mountain. I like to take the really difficult way, it offers more views and feels more rewarding getting to the top. Do not take kids on the second way, and be sure to wear appreciate clothing.
We heard good things about the trails, and wanted to climb the mountain but didn't know where to start. We went to the welcome center and a very nice gentleman greeted us. I said we hadn't been there before and he gave us both a pinnacle mountain pin that we immediately put on. We looked at all the neat things, regretting that we didn't have our children with us since they would've had a blast there. The baby alligator tried attacking me and jumped into the glass wall of his aquarium, so that was excitement that was only mildly scary. The man gave us a map and showed us how to get to the good trail for the mountain. It was beautiful and I loved going up the trail. It got steep at the top and I was almost climbing up the rocks since they got too big to just "step" up to the next one. The sign at the beginning said to give a couple hours for a round trip, and I thought that since I can walk a mile in about 15 minutes that we'd have it done within an hour. Wrong. Bring a bottle of water. We got sweaty and thirsty. I had poor walking shoes too, so be prepared. Bring a camera.
Who says you can't find great hiking in the midwest? Look no further than Pinnacle Mountain State Park. The rangers are the friendliest, and the mountain will NOT disappoint. If you take the East Summit Trail, be ready to be challenged in just 1 mile. It will push you the limits. If you need something a bit tamer, well the park has that too. It's all free of charge and right outside Little Rock. Don't miss it.
Two trails up the mountain... One requires a great deal of climbing towards the top. Great view once you make it to the top.
If you are just wanting to take a walk through the woods this is an ok place. Not much to see on the trails. It was winter so maybe it would be a better walk in spring or fall. I'm not sure this should be called a "mountain" it's more like a "hill".