Pinnacle Mountain State Park
Base Trail and Over the Summit

This trail is challenging in several ways - the climb to the summit up the east trail is a long scramble on a steeply slanted boulder field. A slip could easily result in an injury.

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The challenge of the climb is well worth it - there is the tactile joy of climbing and the sublime joy of the world slowly widening below as you approach the summit.

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The summit is large and has stupendous vistas in all directions - there is almost nothing to limit the view.

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The descent down the west side is fairly easy but still demands care - all in all this is a tough but excellent hike.

Approach

From the junction of I-630 and I-430 in Little Rock Arkansas, follow I-430 2.4 miles north to the exit to Cantrell Rd (AR-10).

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At the top of the ramp, turn left and follow Cantrell Rd. 6.6 miles west to AR-300.

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At AR-300, turn right and go 2.0 miles north to the entrance to Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

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Take a right into the park and find a spot near the Restrooms/Vending Machines

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Coordinates for the hike: 34.8391270,-92.4930380

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Parking / Trailhead amenities

The paved parking lot is huge with plenty of parking space. There are flush toilets, drinking fountains, picnic tables, vending machines, playground equipment, and quite a bit more adjacent to the parking lot.

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Trail observations

The trailhead leaves from the parking lot a little east and across the lot from the toilet. You will climb a little, then pick up the base trail and begin walking around the base of the mountain counter-clockwise.

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The trail alternates between dirt and picking your way through scree or small boulder fields. After going about a third of the way around the mountain, you will start ascending along the east summit trail at an easy slope, until suddenly you are at the base of a rocky landslide. If you are at all unsure about climbing up the landslide, this is the time to turn back.

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Once you start up the landslide it is a continuous steep climb to the top. At the top there is plenty of room to move around to check out different vistas.

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You'll descend from the summit via the west summit trail, which will lead you back to the parking lot.

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Trail statistics

The trail is 3.25 miles long. The sum of all the uphill climbs is 1185 feet.

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Trail waypoints

0.00 mi	Parking	Parking Lot
0.09 mi	Trailhead	Trailhead
0.17 mi	Tee right	Tee - go right along the Base Trail
0.74 mi	Stay left	Branch - stay left
1.01 mi	Go left	Branch - stay left
1.24 mi	Powerlines	Walking along powerlines
1.52 mi	Go left	East summit trail junction go left
1.71 mi	Stay right	Branch - stay right
1.92 mi	Steep ascent	Hazardous climbing ahead
2.39 mi	Head down	Heading back down
3.25 mi	End of trail	End of trail