Pinnacle Rock

The Pinnacle is a free-standing column of quartzite about thirty metres high standing in a gorge of indigenous forest and ferns, with the Ngwenya escarpment behind it and a waterfall dropping into the ravine alongside. It is the smallest of the Panorama Route stops and the quickest - a viewing platform is a two-minute walk from the parking area - which makes it the one people either love for its compactness or skip for the same reason. The rock is the same Black Reef quartzite that forms the escarpment here, left standing as the softer material around it eroded into the gorge. Morning light works best because the column faces east. Like the rest of the route it charges a small entry fee and has curio stalls at the gate, and like the rest of the route it can be entirely inside cloud.

What you actually see

• The quartzite column - a thirty-metre tower standing free in a forested gorge.
• The fern ravine - indigenous forest and a waterfall in the gorge alongside.
• The two-minute walk - the quickest stop on the Panorama Route.
• The morning light - an east-facing column that works best early.

When to go

April to September, in the morning. Half an hour.

Honest expectations

It is a very short stop with a fee. Cloud regularly hides it. The platform is small and gets congested when a coach arrives. Break-ins at Panorama Route car parks have been reported.

Nearby

God's Window is minutes away; Graskop is south.