Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:12, 7 January 2023




Trail Name	Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower
Park	United States Forest Service
Nearest City	Erwin
State	Tennessee
Trail Marking	Lime-Green
Trail Use/Features
Difficulty Rating	Medium
Hiking Time	4 Hours0.25 Days <br />240 Min <br />
Distance: round-trip/trail only	9.6 Mi15.45 km <br /> / 4.8 Mi7.725 km <br />
Trail Type	In-and-Out
Climb/Descent Elevation	approx. 1400 Ft"approx" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. /
High Point	3,523 Ft1,174.333 Yards <br />1,073.81 Meters <br />
Parking	36° 12' 31.31" N, 82° 21' 17.88" W
Trailhead	36° 12' 33.36" N, 82° 21' 18.48" W
Nearest Medical	Erwin, TN
Trip Reports	Click Here

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Trail Overview[edit]

Great 360 degree view of the mountain ranges from observation platform. Officially USFS Trail #25 "Pinnacle Mountain Tower Trail".

How to get there[edit]

From Kingsport or Johnson City:

Head south on I-26
Take Exit 32.
At bottom of ramp, take a right.
At the roadway tee, there is a paved parking lot for 3-4 vehicles and nice restroom facilities. There is a sign for Jack Snider Park and a nearby sign announcing future location for the arts center. There is parking on the road next to the designated lot as well.
Hike through gate along new gravel road into the picnic area.
Trailhead is at the back - there is a prominent sign for the Pinnacle Tower Trail.

Route Description[edit]

The trailhead is located at the Jack Snider Park next to the future site of the Tanasi Arts & Heritage Center next to Interstate 26 at Exit 32. The lime green-blazed trail winds up to the top with a steady 6% slope using many switchbacks. The trail crosses a gravel road and ATV trail near the top which both also lead to the tower, but are steeper than the trail.

Takes 2-2.5 hours to hike up to the tower, and then 1.75 hours back down. Cut half hour off descent by coming down gravel road way to trail intersection.

Miles	Elevation	Pinnacle Mountain Tower Trail	Miles
0.0	2120	Trailhead at picnic parking lot	4.7
2.1	2910	First distant view to the east	2.6
3.2	3080	Cross gravel road/ATV trail Trail follows old logging road	1.5
3.7	3140	Leave logging road for new trail	1.0
4.4	3400	Burned out area around trail	0.3
4.7	3500	Trailhead at tower	0.0

Typical Conditions[edit]

The trail was built in 2010 by a contractor using a Bobcat backhoe. The path is 4 ft wide at a reasonable 6% grade. The tread does have a slight side-to-side slope, which is great to keep the water off the path, but did wear out my ankles from a constant twist.

Fees, Permits, etc.[edit]

No fees or permits. Horse or motor bike riding not allowed per forest service sign. Uncertain if and when the gate at the picnic area is locked.

The trail is located in the Watauga Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest. Telephone: (423) 735-1500

Misc. Information[edit]

The summit is the highpoint of... Washington County (not Unicoi), Tennessee as it is just inside the county line. Pinnacle Mountain Tower was built by the Civil Conservation Corps and was in service until 1989. The trail was created and the 40 ft observation platform restored for $100,000 as a joint partnership. See [news article] and [FS press release].

The fire tower can also be accessed via a forest service road or the ATV trail (FTR #29) off of Dry Creek Road.

Very nice bathrooms are located at the parking area.

Maps[edit]

Loading map...

Photos[edit]

View east towards trailhead
Looking down at radio tower shack
Trailhead in new picnic area
Tanasi Art Center sign near trailhead
Sign for park at trailhead

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+<!-- The following few lines create the "Infobox" table template.  Please scroll down to edit the main content of the article.
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+-->{{Infobox Trail
   | Image Name = Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower.jpg
   | Park = United States Forest Service
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   | Trailhead coords = 36.209268,-82.355133
   | Medical = Erwin, TN
-}}
+}}<!--
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+ | KML =
+ | Updated KML =
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+ | Photos =
+ | Winter photos =
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+ | Infobox data update = Yes
+ | Trail pins =
+ | Other =
+ | Comment = Great! Decide on elevation convention.
+ | Date reviewed = 11/1/2015
+}}<!--
+Start of Main Page -->
 == Trail Overview ==
 <!-- Enter a overview of the trail. What attracts you to this trail, points of interest, types of flowers, lakes, and peaks that you see along the way. -->
@@ Line 82: / Line 101: @@
 == Typical Conditions ==
 <!-- Typical conditions throughout the year of what to expect on the trail. Rocky, muddy, sandy, flowers, lots of downed trees?  -->
-The new trail, mostly constructed by a Bobcat backhoe by a contractor, is 4 ft wide and well graded (6%).  It does have a slight side-to-side slope, which is great to keep the water off the path, but did wear out my ankles from the constant twist.  The trail needs this fall's leaf litter to start protecting the tread, which could be somewhat slick after rain due to being so new.
+The trail was built in 2010 by a contractor using a Bobcat backhoe.  The path is 4 ft wide at a reasonable 6% grade.  The tread does have a slight side-to-side slope, which is great to keep the water off the path, but did wear out my ankles from a constant twist.
 ==Fees, Permits, etc. ==
@@ Line 92: / Line 111: @@
 == Misc. Information ==
 <!-- Enter any additional information that doesn't fit an any other fields. Any seasonal features, factoids, etc...? -->
-The summit is the highpoint of... Washington County (not Unicoi), Tennessee as it is just inside the county line.  Pinnacle Mountain Tower was built by the Civil Conservation Corps and was in service until 1989.  The trail was created and the 40 ft observation platform restored for $100,000 as a joint partnership.  See [[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/nov/05/historic-fire-tower-may-be-restored-with-new/ news article]] and [[http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_036104.pdf FS press release]].
+The summit is the highpoint of... Washington County (not Unicoi), Tennessee as it is just inside the county line.  Pinnacle Mountain Tower was built by the Civil Conservation Corps and was in service until 1989.  The trail was created and the 40 ft observation platform restored for $100,000 as a joint partnership.  See [[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/reconstruction-complete-on-pinnacle-fire-tower-near-unicoi-ep-402671510-357423421.html news article]] and [[http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_036104.pdf FS press release]].
 The fire tower can also be accessed via a forest service road or the ATV trail [http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTSw8jAwgAykeaxcN4jhYG_h4eYX5hPgYwefy6w0H24dcPNgEHcDTQ9_PIz03VL8iNMMgycVQEAIzTHkw!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfME80MEkxVkFCOTBFMktTNUJIMjAwMDAwMDA!/?ss=110804&ttype=recarea&recid=34966&actid=93&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&navid=110350000000000&pnavid=110000000000000&cid=null&pname=Cherokee+National+Forest+-+Buffalo+Mountain+ATV+Trail (FTR #29)] off of Dry Creek Road.
@@ Line 100: / Line 119: @@
 == Maps ==
 <!-- You can place pictures, PDF's, links, or even create a Google map with your waypoints and place it here. -->
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+<display_map center="36.2146,-82.361" type="terrain" zoom="15" width="725" height="450" gkml="https://tehcc.org/clubwiki/kml/Pinnacle_Mountain_Tower_Trail.kml">
 .209268,-82.355133~Trailhead in picnic area for future arts center~[[Image:Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower trailhead.JPG|150px]]~MarkerT.png
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