The Pinnacle Mountain Climb outside of Saluda is arguably the toughest climb in the area and is part of a 17-mile section of road that can be accessed via Pinnacle Mountain Road not far from Flat Rock. The first climb is up to SkyTop Orchard, but that is a false summit. After travelling down the road for a ways, the real climb begins. After a moderate start, you’ll turn the corner and see a steep wall to climb. It ranges from 15-25%, very steep, until easing up at the very end. There is no summit view, but there should be writing on the pavement signifying the end of the climb.
After turning onto Pinnacle Mountain Road from Highway 225 this ride starts out immediately with steep climb. After topping the first hump the ride levels off to reach Sky Top Orchard and a false summit that belies little about the steepness of the climb ahead.
Pinnacle Mountain is quite a lengthy stretch of mountainous road with a total length of around 17 miles.
