Mountain Biking at Pinnacle Mountain State Park: Monument Trails Least Impressive Network

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Pinnacle Mountain State Park is one of four state parks in Arkansas’s Monument Trail System – an initiative aimed to bring world-class trails to state parks around Arkansas. 

Pinnacle was the last Monument Trail System for me to check off (I’d already ridden Devil’s Den, Hobbs, and Mt. Nebo) and honestly, I was a bit disappointed. 

Each of the other trail networks had something amazing to offer like:

• Epic views and long downhills (Mt. Nebo)
• Unique rock formations (Devil’s Den)
• Truly world-class machine-built cross-country trails (Hobbs). 

But Pinnacle? It didn’t really seem like it had anything exciting to offer. If I had to give it a ‘specialty’ I’d say it wins the award for rugged, steep, chunky, old-school tracks. Of course, there was some flow, but not as much as the other Monument Trail systems.

Overall were the trails at Pinnacle Mountain good? Yes. But were they amazing? Not really. 

I don’t want to discourage you from checking them out if your mission is to hit all of the Monument Trail Systems in Arkansas. They are pretty cool. But maybe hit Pinnacle first so your expectations are set accordingly 🙂

In this post, I share everything you need to know to make the most of your mountain biking experience at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. 

Getting There & Where to Park

Pinnacle Mountain State Park is located just 30 minutes outside of Little Rock, Arkansas on the Arkansas River.

There are several parking areas, but I recommend parking at the Middle Mountain Parking Area because it has easy access to both the east and west trail networks.

Trail Guide & Route Recommendations

If you read the intro, you know that I wasn’t a huge fan of the mountain bike trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

They were good, yes, but compared to the other Monument Trail Systems (Devil’s Den, Hobbs, and Mt. Nemo), Pinnacle definitely came up short. It’s good, but it’s not amazing.

If you’re interested in riding at Pinnacle, though, here are the best trails and a route recommendation:

(Note: the other downhill trails on the west side like Armadillo Run and Middle Mountain were very rutted and eroded when I was there, which is why I didn’t recommend them, at least until they get some love. Carnshaw is a legit steep, old-school black trail that most people will walk).

Depending on how much you want to pedal and how many days you’re in the park, you can easily split the park into two: do the west side on day one and the east side on day two.

The below route is a mash-up of the best trails on each side.

Camping

There is no campground within Pinnacle Mountain State Park, but Maumelle Park Campground is just a short drive away with 128 sites, clean showers and bathrooms, and access to the Arkansas River.

Final Thoughts

Pinnacle State Park is my least favorite network in Arkansas’s Monument Trail System. Unlike the other State Parks, this one didn’t feel like it had anything special to offer. The trails were quite eroded and washed out in places and it just felt like it didn’t get the love that, say, Devil’s Den gets.

But that being said, if your goal is to visit all four of the Monument Trails networks, then Pinnacle should be on your list. Are the trails good? Yes. Are they amazing? No.

Maybe hit Pinnacle first so your expectations keep getting exceeded with the other networks 🙂

Have you ridden at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in Arkansas? What did you think of the mountain biking there? Leave a comment below!