Ledge Spring, Jomeokee, and Sassafras Trails is a 2.6 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Pinnacle, North Carolina that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
birding
camping
hiking
nature trips
rock climbing
walking
forest
views
wild flowers
wildlife
Pilot Mountain State Park - Ledge Spring and Jomeokee Trails form a demanding 2.8 mile loop trail located near Pinnacle, North Carolina that features forest, cliffs and amazing views. The trail is primarily used for hiking & rock climbing and is accessible year-round. The Jomeokee Trail is a moderate relatively flat 0.8 mile loop around the base of Pilot Mountain's Big Pinnacle offering impressive cliff views as well as opportunities to see ravens and rare plants. The trail is marked by orange dots and is named by the Saura Indian Tribe, who used it as a guide or pilot landmark. The Ledge Springs Trail is a demanding hike up or down rocky or wooden steps with a varying slope. It travels along the base of the cliffs used by many climbers, starting to the west of Little Pinnacle. This part of the trail is marked by yellow dots. The "ledge spring" is really just a trickle of water forming a small stream, but there are several areas water permeates the rocks. The trail can be traveled either clockwize (starting with Jomeokee and then taking a left at the Ledge Springs Trail to travel down the rock steps and then back up a more steady sloped trail from the bottom back to the parking lot. A short cut through Three Bear Gulley will cut out most of the bottom part (and less scenic) part of the trail. Pilot Mountain is one of two nesting sites in North Carolina for the common Raven and also supports the environment for three rare plants: Greenland Sand Wort, Dwarf Alum Root and Bear Oak.
An amazing trail! On a cold day in December we enjoyed a couple of rock climbers! A great day!
Amazing trail!
One direction will have you climbing up rocks, the other (starting at the trail head towards the pinnacle) will put you climbing up steps. A cool trip through the boulder fields but definitely a challenging hike.
I would describe this as "moderate" rather than "hard." Lots of diversity for such a small area. The parking area at the top is usually crowded, but take the Jomeokee Trail around the actual knob and you'll get some great, less trafficked views. This is probably the best hike within an hour of Winston-Salem
This is by far one of my favorite hikes in NC! I love that within an hour you can kick it and get a great workout or just enjoy the beauty of the views and hawks / vultures that fly above you. It's also a great solo hike.
Fun hike. The day we went, there were several others hiking so if you like seclusion, this probably isn't the trail. Lots of areas to see out over the Yadkin Valley.
This trail was great it kicked my hind end..I will definitely be doing this one again.
This was my first visit to Pilot Mountain, and it was better than I could've imagined. We hiked the Ledge Spring and Jomeokee trails.
The Ledge Spring was fairly strenuous, but I think my group made it a little more challenging by hiking up the steps instead of down
Bev H.
Pilot Mountain State Park offers well maintained trails, clean restrooms, beautiful views and a great workout on various hikes. love it!
Wonderful trail with an amazing view at the top!
Excellent trail. Great views.
Laura M.
Beautiful views everywhere on this trail. One of my new favorites
Trail can be strenuous at times. The view is worth the hike.
If you are in the area and don't have time to hike, it has an awesome view you can drive up to. The hike itself is awesome, It's a great little afternoon hike, and the trails are pretty clean. Lot's of overhangs, interesting boulders composed mostly of white mica schist from what I could see. This is a must see no matter who you are.
I wouldn't say this is a "Hard" course, though, for someone new to hiking, absolutely.
It's easy, just a regular hike with rock faces. View of Pilot is nice, not a bad trail.
Nice strenuous hike for a person out of shape (me)! Very few people here today, a Thursday. Will be back to do a longer trail next.
Great hike! So many steps....trying to get back in shape....felt so good to complete this hike. Can't wait to return.
Hiked this trail in August 2012 with my then 6 and 7 year old kids. Nice easy beginner experience with great views for rewards.
great views. rock climbing on weekends to watch. Steps that never end making it great if you want a real workout
First off, people this is not a hard or even moderate trail. I'm from Oregon and this trail was absolutely gorgeous but in not shape or form deserves a hard rating. It's only a 910 gradual elevation shift to the top. Who comes up with these designated ratings.
Combine this with the Grindstone or Mountain trail for a good day hike. I prefer going counterclockwise on this trail. The
backside is where you will find the climbers and you can always stop and rest and watch them. Great views all around from the backside. There really is a spring that I have used often over the years with no problems. It's on the backside right before the trail heads uphill. I suppose I should say "use at your own risk" but I've never had a problem.
Love the views
Took the Jomeokee trail first, and picked up the Ledge Springs Trail. I would call this a challenging trail with large number of stone steps descending for about a mile. During the descent, you will see the cliffs and probably a good number of rock climbers during warm weather. Expect to traverse the trail through groups of climbers on the weekends. The spring is small (almost small enough to miss as it runs across the trail under a large rock as more of a trickle), but the water is incredibly clear and cold. The ascent starts at about the 1 mile mark. It is significant (748') mile long ascent on sandy soil with wooden steps. There are several good places to stop and take a break if needed. Take some snacks and plenty of water. The end of the trail will put you back out at the parking lot.
Excellent views throughout this tough little hike. Lots and lots of stone steps on one side of the loop - so plan accordingly whether you like to go up or down steps. We chose to go up, and it can get pretty difficult at times...and keeps you wondering when it's going to end! Well worth it though - the views are amazing. Went in February so you can see through the trees pretty easily, which meant we had views for most of the hike. Bring water and snacks - those steps can wear you down!
I take back what I said about the steps... have to have them if you start from parking lot and end going up them...
started from the knob end of the trail ascended down about 500 man made stone steps I have such a dislike for although the cliff climbers halfway down made me forget about the knee jarring steps for a while. be careful about halfway the u turn to stay on this trail is not clearly marked. if you start on the parking lot end be ready for those 500 steps. we met a marine looking guy out of breath gasping leaning on a tree asking am I getting close.?
Amazing hike, moderate difficulty. Great views
Great hike! Even in the heat of the summer, this is mostly wooded and a nice steady hike.
I loved this hike! Awesome views the entire trail. Climbers are on the trail though and I had to go around. Also some parts of the trail are not well maintained.
The trail itself was good. It lived up to its moderate title but because it was only a couple of miles it was relatively easy going. The weather couldn't have been better. I think October is a great time to go. The overlook (which was just off of the parking lot) had gorgeous views. They were really beautiful but you didn't need to go on the trail at all to get to them.