Synopsis: A strenuous day hike involving lots of climbing, combining portions of Pinnacle Pass Trail + Rim of the Gap Trail.
Total Mileage: 11.5 miles.
Hike Rating: Very Strenuous
The Trailhead: Located at Jones Gap State Park in Marietta, SC of northern Greenville County. Google to determine the best drive for you. After entering the gate, park in the area on the right. Pay the entrance fee. Follow the trail across an iron bridge that crosses the Middle Saluda River, and be sure to register at the Ranger’s Station/Gift Shop on the far side of the gap. The trail head(s) are located directly over a bridge across from the station.
The hike: I’ve always wanted to hike the Pinnacle Pass and Rim of the Gap trails located in Jones Gap State Park within the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. Word was both these trails were “hiker’s hikes,” meaning they were physically demanding, yet scenic. After studying a couple of maps (It’s a great idea to always carry a map with you.), and doing research, my two hiking partners and I (Kayla and Drew) determined the best route to ensure we experienced the best of everything these two trails had to offer.
Here is the route we took in short: Jones Gap Trail (blue) > Rim of the Gap Trail (Yellow) > Pinnacle Pass Trail (White, though most maps show Orange… the blazes are White) > John Sloan Connector (Pink) > Rim of the Gap (Yellow) > Jones Gap Trail (Blue).
Start out and hike a few yards on the Jones Gap Trail. Bear left onto the Rim of the Gap Trail. Soon, you’ll come to a marker post, bear left here onto the Pinnacle Pass Trail (also named the #20 trail in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area).
The Pinnacle Pass Trail begins to ascend almost immediately. The climb is tough. There are some boulders in the trail, meaning you’ll have to boulder a little. The trail is wet, too. To the left are good winter views of Cleveland Cliffs. At about 2.5 miles, there is a very good view of the Blue Ridge Escarpment from the near summit of Little Pinnacle Mountain (this is what you’re climbing). I’d read there was a clearing and a cliff to walk out on, but we did not see it, though we did find a good view.
I can’t stress how unrelenting the climb is up Pinnacle Pass. Please do not attempt if you aren’t in good physical shape. It seemed like every time we thought we’d topped out, there was another ascent in front of us.
You’ll see that by the time you make it to more level ground, you’ve climbed over three summits.
At 4 miles, you’ll see the 6 & 20 Connector Trail coming in on the right of the trail. You can turn here and shave off a mile or so, as it also connects to the Rim of the Gap Trail (#6). We opted to take a break here and rest and eat lunch.
Forge onward for a mile on mostly level ground, on what appears to be an old road bed. There were lots of trees blown down, so you’ll have to climb over those, too. After a mile, the John Sloan Connector Trail blazed in pink appears on the right. Take this trail. It’s a mile long and connects with Rim of the Gap.
At the end of John Sloan, there is a kiosk at the crossroads with Rim of the Gap Trail. You can elect to turn right here and follow the trail back down the mountain and into Jones Gap. This would make your total hike 8.5 miles. We elected to turn left, hike all the way to the other end of the Rim of the Gap Trail and backtrack to the kiosk, then back down to the trail head. This added 3-4 extra miles.
You’ll want to turn left and experience the best of the Rim of the Gap Trail. After a short ascent, you’ll begin to descend. The environment changes from open forest and hardwood, to cliffs and lots of mountain shrubbery. The trail here is narrow, and there are many places where you’re literally a step away from falling down the cliff side (around 2,000′).Use caution. We heard there were chains for support, but we did not see any.
At 1.4 miles, you’ll come to Weight Watcher’s Rock. This is a boulder stacked on two other boulders, making a narrow opening between them. You’ll have to climb through the needle’s eye, or take your chances on the narrow trail around the rock. I’d crawl through here if I were you. The trail around skirts a sheer cliff. You might have to remove your pack to get through, hence the name.
Follow the trail, and notice several drips and small falls to your left. Further on, there are a couple of ladders to climb, and a couple of cables to hold onto at the base of waterfalls, however, the falls were dry on this day. (Also, my camera began malfunctioning several miles back, so I did not get pics).
Once reaching the terminus of the Rim of the Gap Trail, turn around and retrace your steps back down to Jones Gap and the trail head. There are good views of the cliffs on the way back down. You’ll also have to cross several streams, but they were mostly trickles.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this trail if you love a good, quad-busting hike! I’d also take the exact route we took. Actually, if I had to do it all over again, I’d start at the Rim of the Gap trail head up near Caesar’s Head State Park, hike down to John Sloan, hike over to Pinnacle Pass, and down Pinnacle Pass to Jones Gap. This would require two cars, one at each entrance, but the hike from the John Sloan Connector on Rim of the Gap back down to our car was pretty uneventful, except for the beautiful Middle Saluda River.
Enjoy the pics and let me know if you have any questions!
See you on the trail!
Carolina Trekker 