Pinnacle Mountain is a day-use park dedicated to environmental education, outdoor recreation, and preservation. Located just west of Little Rock, this natural environment of 2,356 acres was set aside in 1977 as Arkansas's first state park adjoining a major metropolitan area. The park features a diversity of natural habitat, from high upland peaks to bottomlands along the Big Maumelle River and Little Maumelle River, for park visitors to experience. Park interpreters and volunteers help visitors and students understand man's relationship to the environment. Special interpretive programs conducted by the park interpreters can be scheduled by contacting the park.

 

The park's dominant natural feature is Pinnacle Mountain, which rises more than a thousand feet above the Arkansas River Valley. The mountain's cone-shaped peak has long been a central Arkansas landmark. Two of the park's hiking trails lead hikers to the mountain's summit. To see the panoramic view from atop Pinnacle Mountain, visit the virtual tour featured online in the hiking section of the website featuring Arkansas's adventure state parks at: http://www.adventurestateparks.com/hiking/.

 

The park offers a wide variety of hiking trails including the 1 1/2-mile West Summit Trail, 1 1/2-mile East Summit Trail, 2 1/2-mile Base Trail, 2-mile Rocky Valley Trail, and 1-mile East Quarry Trail. In addition, the park includes two barrier-free trails. These are the 1/2-mile paved Kingfisher Trail and 0.6-mile paved Arkansas Trail in the Arkansas Arboretum. The park serves as the eastern terminus of the 250-mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail which stretches from Pinnacle Mountain State Park to eastern Oklahoma.

 

Two mountain bike trails opened in the park in early October 2010. The new seven-tenths-of-a-mile Rabbit Ridge Mountain Bike Trail and 7.4-mile Jackfork Mountain Bike Trail offer bikers more than eight miles of single track, mountain bike trails.  

 

 

The park's diversity of habitat provide many outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. Included in these are interpretive canoe and boat tours led by park interpreters.

Park facilities include picnic sites, two standard pavilions with restrooms, and launch ramps. The park visitor center overlooks the Arkansas River below and includes exhibits, A/V programs, a meeting room, and gift shop. 

Within the park's environs is the Arkansas Arboretum, a 71-acre site exhibiting native flora representing Arkansas's six, major natural divisions. Located below Pinnacle Mountain along the Little Maumelle River, the arboretum includes a .6-mile barrier-free, interpretive trail.

 

Camping is not available at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. However, campsites are available at Maumelle Park, located just 3.8 miles east of Ark. 300 on Pinnacle Valley Road. This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park on the Arkansas River features 129 campsites with water and electrical hookups, and tables and grills; bathhouses with hot showers; two pavilions with restrooms; a playground; dump station; and boat ramp.