Weekend Wandering: Pinnacle Knob Overlook

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." 

– Jawaharal Nehru

When making plans for our weekend away, I stumbled across one thing I knew my husband would want to see - The Pinnacle Knob Fire Tower and Overlook. 

And I was right. All I had to say was, "honey, I found an old fire tower that's been restored that you can visit..."

Being a firefighter, he didn't hesitate.

I wanted to write about it specifically because it was a little tricky to find good information about this particular trail online and it seemed none of my local friends had heard of it. 

A link for the trailhead.

When I began searching, I found most info for the specific trail on the Kentucky Hiker, which has the gpx download, for you more advanced hikers. It also mentions the possibility of bears and snakes (so every little rustle made me want to jump out of my skin) but we did not had the pleasure (or scare) of seeing either.

There's also more historical information about it on the National Historic Lookout Register, too. It is one of only 12 in the state that are on the registry, the few remaining out of the 100s that probably existed here.

Based on what I found, the tower was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which constructed much of the buildings and trails within the park. It was eventually closed, but was restored in 2008.

It features a 14 foot by 14 foot structure at the top of the steel tower. It is only open certain days -- inquire at the DuPont Lodge for more information about those tour opportunities. 

Unfortunately, we didn't realize that and went on a day when it was not unlocked. We made it to the top, only to find out we couldn't go inside, but the views from the stairs were still amazing.

The trailhead is a nondescript
pull off on the side of 90. 

Finding and hiking the trail

I wanted to start with an easy "here's where you find it" photo, mostly because we passed the trailhead a few times before realizing where it was. 

You can pop it into Google maps, but know that your service is spotty in the area. It is simply a pull off on the side of the road, with room for two or three cars to park and a sign that talks about the trail.

Look for the yellow 
number two on the guardrail.

There is also a yellow number two spray painted onto the guardrail at the parking area. This is best seen as you're leaving the falls area, heading back out of the park.

As you hike along, you can follow the number two trail, but there is a point where you split off to go to the tower. If you continue along that path, it will lead to a longer trail that (I believe) winds down to the river. 

Now, being totally transparent with you, my husband and I are not exactly advanced hikers. We've both been hiking before, but it's been some years back for either of us. We can both handle an easy mile, but we're not in shape for more strenuous jaunts through the woods. 

So, with that transparency in mind, I will say we found the hike doable in the first stage. There are benches in the beginning, but we didn't have to stop until we neared the top - then I needed a breather!

As I mentioned, there is a split in the trail. Trail number two will veer to the left, but the trail to the fire tower goes to the right and up. It's noted by the tower symbol with an arrow pointing to the right.

This is when it starts to get more strenuous.

The trail leads up a few stairs, around, up more stairs, around, up more stairs ... you get the idea. It finally begins to level back to a walking path as you near the top. 

I wish I had measured the distances, but am sorry to say I did not. I will say even the stairs were a peaceful hike, despite being a little difficult. There's much flora and fauna to admire and it stayed fairly cool under all the tree coverage. But I definitely broke a sweat!

Just some of the stairs.

One thing that intrigued me about the stairs - they were made using various materials. Some were stone, some wood, but it all looked like it fit. As if nature had grown to accept the stairs as part of the environment. I'm not sure how long they had been there, but they were in pretty good shape, considering the wear and tear they must deal with.

After we got through the stairs, I did have to take a second to catch my breath, before we moved to the end. In my defense this camera was heavy, along with the water bottle I was lugging. Still, I recommend taking the water and a camera! It was so beautiful.

And well worth the hike! 

A photo of Jim
halfway up the tower.

When we finally got to the top, we were quite surprised at seeing the tower and taking it all in. We were imagining what it was like to live and work there, having to make that hike in or out on a regular basis, and bring supplies! 

Of course, when you get to the tower, there's still more steps. As I said earlier, it was unfortunately locked when we got there, but we still climbed about halfway, just to take in the unobstructed view. 

It is quite a view to behold. 

We just sat there for a good 15 minutes, taking it in, enjoying the breeze and sun, and just admiring the beauty God has created.

And, of course, I had to make Jim take a few selfies for posterity's sake. 

[And for any of you Pokémon Go players who might be reading, the tower is a Poké stop! Jim discovered that while we were catching our breath on the benches below.]

I will say, the hike out seemed much easier and faster than the hike to the tower. Maybe we were just going at a slower pace or maybe it just because we had already covered that ground once?

Have you visited the Pinnacle Knob Overlook? What did you think?