This 2.6-mile loop at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (Pulaski County near west Little Rock) takes you to the summit of Pinnacle Mountain. It includes the West Summit Trail, East Summit Trail, and the north half of the Base Trail (connecting the two summit trails).

The summit of Pinnacle Mountain is one of Arkansas’s must-see hiking destinations. It is challenging, but it is a scenic and interesting hike with amazing views.

The Pinnacle Mountain summit trails are not the hardest trails in Arkansas since they are short, but they are definitely among the steepest. (Check out Mike’s elevation profile below.) In fact, guidebook writer Tim Ernst says that the East Summit Trail is the steepest trail in the state.

The elevation change from the base to the summit of Pinnacle Mountain is about 725 feet.

There is a trailhead at the base of the west side (West Summit Trail) and one at the east side (East Summit Trail). They both have parking.

The Base Trail makes a relatively level loop around the bottom of the mountain going through both trailheads.

When I recently hiked this loop, I began at the West Summit Trail trailhead and turned left onto the Base Trail. From there I hiked around the base of the mountain to the East Summit Trail. I then climbed East Summit Trail (not easily!) to the summit, and I hiked down back to my car via the West Summit Trail.

Getting to the West Summit Trailhead

To get to Pinnacle Mountain State Park from the Little Rock area, take I-430 to Exit 9, about a mile south of the Arkansas River. Head west on Cantrell Road (Highway 10).

About 2 miles west of the interstate, turn right to take Pinnacle Valley Road. Follow the signs to the park, then follow the signs to the West Summit Trail.

The Hike: Base Trail (North) to East Summit Trail

When you begin the trail from the west side you will soon (about 50 yards) come to the intersection with the Base Trail. I went left to take the north side, but you would do just as well to take the south side of the Base Trail.

The Base Trail, marked by light green blazes, has little elevation gain. (The elevation change on the entire 3-mile Base Trail is only about 100 feet.) The woods are nice and open, and the trail takes you through a wonderful stand typical of the Ouachita Mountains.

Much of the Base Trail is pretty rocky.

A little more than halfway around, the Base Trail merges with the Ouachita Trail. Stay right to continue on the Base Trail.

The Ouachita Trail (Ouachita National Recreation Trail) is 223 miles long, beginning at Talimena State Park in Oklahoma and ending at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Its blazes are blue. So this part of the loop has blue and light green blazes.

You stay on the Base Trail for little ways longer before you come to the intersection with the East Summit Trail (to your right).

Climbing the East Summit Trail

Of the two trails to the top, the East Summit Trail is steeper and more difficult to climb.

The first .4 miles of the East Summit Trail is a steadily climbing wooded trail. After that, it is a very steep climb–mostly scaling boulders.

Climbing up the boulder part of the East Summit Trail, I often not only had to use my hands, but I had to look for places to place my feet to keep from sliding down the rocks.

The East Summit Trail is marked with red and white blazes. I found myself varying a little from the marked path in some places. In those areas, the blazes were where the rocks were too tall or I couldn’t find a good foot hold.

Much of the higher elevation parts of the East Summit Trail has wonderful views.

At the summit, you can rest and take in 360-degree views. The summit is rocky, but it’s mostly level so your thighs get a rest.

You can walk the ridge line on the summit to the north and south. Be sure to take in the views of Lake Maumelle, the Arkansas River, and downtown Little Rock.

Heading Down the West Summit Trail

To complete the loop, take the West Summit Trail (yellow blazes) back down the mountain.

The West Summit Trail is similar to the east one in that the lower part is a wooded uphill climb while the upper part is quite steep with just rocks and boulders. But while the high part of the East Summit Trail is just scaling boulders, the upper West Summit Trail is like a steep crooked staircase.

But even on the West Summit Trail, I find myself using my hands for stability or to pull myself up on a rock.

Keep in mind that due to the balance and navigation required, going down the steep parts of these trails can be almost as hard as climbing up them. For some, it is harder.

About one-third of the way down, you leave the boulder field to a nice wide path. From there, it is fairly easy walking back down to the parking lot.

The West Summit Trail is the more popular of the two summit trails. (I have been on it a number of times.) And with it being so close to Little Rock, it can get a bit crowded.

Final Notes

Be sure to bring plenty of water. And don’t forget some for your pup if you are hiking with a dog (leash required). There are no water crossings for you dog to drink from, and there is little shade at the top.

Each summit trail is about .6 miles long. The north half of the Base Trail is about 1.4 miles long.

Of course, you can also make a loop out of the south half of the Base Trail. Taking the south half of the Base Trail ends up being about .1 miles shorter.

Mike’s elevation profile below does the (north) loop starting at the East Summit Trail.

These photos (except for Mike’s East Summit Trail pic) are from hikes I took on June 19, 2017, February 14, 2016, and January 25, 2010.

[While at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, you might want to also check out the Base Trail or the Rocky Valley/East Quarry Trail Hike.]

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Map

[A version of this post was originally published on July 20, 2017 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]
[Last revised: 5-16-2021.]

The post Pinnacle Mountain: Summit Trail Loop – 3 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

This short but vigorous 2.6-mile hike combines two trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (Pulaski County, near Little Rock): the Rocky Valley and East Quarry Trails.

This is a scenic and hilly walk with a couple of great vistas on the east end.

Getting to the Rocky Valley Trail

The first part of the hike is the Rocky Valley Trail (green blazes), a semi-loop trail that starts next to the visitor center. The East Quarry Trail (red blazes) is a spur at the east end of the loop.

As for getting to Pinnacle Mountain State Park, for most people, you should head to Cantrell Road (Highway 10) in northwest Little Rock, off of Interstate 430. About 2 miles west of the interstate, turn right to take Pinnacle Valley Road. Follow the signs to the park and head to the visitor center.

The Rocky Valley Trail has a very visible trailhead sign. It is at the back end of the visitor center parking lot,  just to the left of the Quarry Pond (a former quarry area).

The Hike

I’m a big fan of trails with hills, interesting rocks, and cool views. This this state park hike through part of the Fulk Mountains has all that.

The first part of the hike heads southeast on a ridge going along the Quarry Pond with some cool views of the pond.

After about a quarter-mile, the trail turns east and starts heading downhill. After about another .2 miles, the trail reaches the loop part of the trail. I usually turn right here to the loop counterclockwise (on the south side, continuing east). From here, it’s about .3 miles to the East Quarry Trail junction.

The aptly named Rocky Valley Trail is a wooded valley walk with a lot of interesting rock formations that run the gamut from the numerous small and medium-sized rocks to large igloo-sized rock formations. When I hiked it in May, there also were several scenic streams near the trail.

By the time you reach the bottom of the valley, the trail has descended about 240 feet in elevation. In this low-lying area, you are close to the (big) Maumelle River, just to the north.

Be sure to turn right and take the East Quarry Trail when you reach that spur. Also in this area, you might want to take the short spur over to get an up-close look at the river. (The view for me was limited during leaf-on.)

Back to the East Quarry Trail, it starts out heading southeast continuing in the flat low-lying river terrain. After about .1 miles, it starts an uphill climb toward the top of one of the mountains. The trail becomes more steep with switchbacks as it heads uphill.

When the trail gets near the top, it follows a road trace a little ways and then reaches a bench at another former quarry area with a great north-facing vista of the Arkansas and Maumelle Rivers.

When I took these photos on May 23, the rivers were swollen from recent rains. Much of the low-lying land between the rivers was also water-covered.

And there is another cool vista. The trail takes another short climb up to the top of this mountain to the H.L. Dickinson Overlook, a west-facing overlook with a great view of Pinnacle Mountain in the distance. (There is a plaque here stating that Overlook was dedicated by Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel, who apparently donated this property at the east part of the state park.)

This is area is the end of the East Quarry Trail. From here, turn around and head back downhill to the Rocky Quarry Trail.

Safety note: There are a few dangerous bluffs on the East Quarry Trail. Be careful.

When you get back to the Rocky Valley Trail, be sure to turn right again to continue to the north side of the loop.

The north side of the loop is slightly longer than the south side. It continues through the low-lying area for about .2 miles heading west before turning southwest and working its way back uphill out of the valley.

When you finish the loop, turn right to head back to the trailhead.

The total length of the hike is about 2.6 miles. The net elevation change is about 260 feet, but the total elevation gain on the hike is about 560 feet.

Final Notes

As is usually the case in Arkansas State Parks, the trails were in good condition and well-marked.

I had AT&T cell coverage throughout the hike.

There also is a Scenic Overlook near the trailhead which is reached via a wooden staircase. It also has some nice views of the  Arkansas and Maumelle Rivers.

These photos are all from my May 23, 2015 hike.

While at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, you might want to also check out the Summit Trail Loop or the Base Trail. 

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Map

[Last revised: 7-25-2021.]

The post Pinnacle Mountain: Rocky Valley/East Quarry Trails – 3 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

About a month ago during the holidays, my brother and I did a hike up the West Summit Trail at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (Pulaski County, near Little Rock). This is an awesome trail.

There are two trails that will get you to the top of Pinnacle Mountain: the East Summit Trail and the West Summit Trail. The West Summit Trail is the most travelled, but the East Summit Trail is pretty popular too.

The net elevation change either way is about 650 feet.

The upper halves of both trails are quite steep, but the East Summit Trail is much more so. The upper part of the West Summit Trail is like a very steep crooked rock  staircase. On the East Summit Trail, the trail is just scaling boulders. (Check out some pictures, maps, and elevation profile in this Summit Trail Loop post.)

Although it wasn’t very sunny, it was great hiking weather (in the 40’s) when we did our December 28 hike.

Instead of making the full loop, we just did an out-and-back hike on the West Summit Trail. (A full loop can be made by doing both summit trails and then connecting them with either the north half or the south half of the Base Trail.)

These are some photos I took on our hike. (Check out this post for some more Pinnacle Mountain summit pics.)

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Last revised: 6-7-2020.

The post Pinnacle Mountain: West Summit Trail Pics 2014 appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

One of the cool hiking trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park is the Base Trail, a 2.7-mile loop around the base of Pinnacle Mountain.

Hikers often use either the north or south part of the Base Trail to make a summit loop — e.g., hiking up the East Summit Trail, down the West Summit Trail, then turning right to complete the loop on the north part of the Base Trail.

But just hiking the Base Trail is a pretty cool hike.

You can start the trail at either the East Summit trailhead or the West Summit trailhead. Both trailheads have parking and are easy to find by following the signs in the park.

When I did my hike in October, I started at the East Summit trailhead and turned right making the loop counterclockwise.

It’s not a difficult walk, but it’s not a boring one either. The entire trail is forested and quite scenic. It zigs and zags quite a bit and much of it is rocky.

There is a bit of incline on the trail, but not much. The net elevation on the trail is only about 130 feet.

The trail is easy to follow, in great condition, and well-blazed (green).

A small part of the trail overlaps with the Ouachita Trail, a 223-mile trail that runs from Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park, mostly running through the Ouachita National Forest.

There is a playground and restroom area near the West Summit trailhead.

These photos are all from my October 26 hike. As you can see, there was a little bit of fall color.

I had good AT&T cell coverage the entire hike.

Check out the full-screen photo gallery below for a larger view of the photos.

While at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, you might want to also check out the Summit Trail Loop or the Rocky Valley/East Quarry Trail Hike. 

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Map

[Last revised: 8-22-2021.]

The post Pinnacle Mountain: Base Trail – 3 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.