Hike to Pinnacle Peak, Indiana

Beginning at the trail head labeled for Trail 1/Pinnacle Peak, the trail changes a total of ~450 ft elevation in a mile through a rolling, hardwood forest to reach its namesake location: Pinnacle Peak. The view opens up to the southwest of the peak and shows the valley below and the distance farms beyond on the edge of Indiana's farmland. The top of the peak is held up by thick sandstone beds, that to an acute eye can find numerous brachiopod fossils embedded in the stone.

For a state such as Indiana that tends to be overlooked as a state with scenic views, this trail shows that it has some hidden gems that aren't difficult to get to. The trail is very well maintained for its length, and the campground and picnic areas near the trail head add to making Jackson-Washington an excellent park to base a weekend of day hikes out of for the region. Overall, an excellent trail for an easy day hike with great reward at the end.

The INDNR website has a map of the trails located at Jackson-Washington State Forest: http://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/files/fo-JW_trail_maps.pdf