West Pinnacle - 3.5 miles out and back - moderate difficulty

If you are looking for a hike outside of the Red River Gorge, try The Pinnacles just outside of Berea. 
This little park area has a few trails to the West and East Pinnacle and a beautiful overlook called Indian Ford Lookout. If you have never been here before, I highly advise you to see the lookout. But let me tell ya, it is straight up and I'd like to die! But so worth it!
It has been about a month since my last hike! I have been wanting to get out, but this heat and hiking really don't mix that well. So we chose to hike out to see the West Pinnacle in the morning and made sure to have plenty of water.

After leaving the huge parking lot, you will take the paved trail marked by the sign in the picture above. This will lead you to the trailhead and also a very nice map. There you will see all the trails they have to offer.
Once you begin going uphill it don't end for a long time. So take breaks. Enjoy the scenery around you and catch your breath. I did about 3 times!

As you can see from some of these pictures, the trail can be nice and smooth at one point, rocky at another and very much filled with roots in another area. The trail will come to an intersection and you will want to turn to the left. There is a really nice bench you can rest on before you venture on.
One of the nice things here is that their trails are very well marked with nice signs.

Yep, the trail goes right up in all these rocks and trees.

The closer you get to the pinnacle the more difficult the trail becomes. Climbing rocks and squeezing through some tight spaces. But isn't that part of a fun adventure? 
There was a time or two, though, when we wondered if we were there or not. We were getting a little bummed because we weren't finding a wonderful opening where you can overlook the valley below. But we found it! So just keep going until you can't go anymore.
​We climbed up on of the pinnacle and was able to see part of our state's beautiful scenery. I will say, though, that it may be better to do this hike in the winter or beginning of spring when the leaves are off the trees. You only have a couple spots with a good view. 

 Although this trail is in the shade, remember to pack plenty of water. So go grab you camera and have fun! And remember...“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” - John Muir