Whether you are traveling the backroads of Mount Airy, Yadkinville, Walnut Cove, or driving on highway 52, Pilot Mountain is a spectacular sight to behold.  Our most distinctive natural feature is composed of metamorphic quartzite rock and rises to a peak of 2,421 feet.  The great Knob is located in Surry and Yadkin counties and serves as a beacon to outdoor enthusiasts.  State parks, such as Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock, are fortunate to have a state-sanctioned “Friends of Sauratown Mountains” organization supporting volunteer opportunities and ongoing projects.  The 220-member group, comprised of “friends” from Mount Airy, Yadkinville, Walnut Cove, King, Winston-Salem, and other local communities, generates $10,000 annually for trail improvements and educational classes that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.  One project remains—achieving 300 paid applications to provide a specialized Pilot Mountain license plate. 

Reaching Goals 

The community of Pilot Mountain, members of the State Park, and the Friends of Sauratown Mountains faced uphill challenges from 2020 through early 2021 in spreading news of their project.  With less than 100 applications needed, the group remains hopeful they can submit the required 300 applications to the DMV General Assembly by January 1st, 2022. 

A Unique and Beloved Gift Idea 

A specialized license plate, featuring our national landmark, the Knob, is the ideal gift for aunts and uncles, parents, new drivers, and the friend who has everything. By filling out an application and providing payment of $30, you can support two of our beloved state parks while showcasing pride for Pilot Mountain. 

Application Information 

While the Pilot Mountain license plate has yet to receive its approved status at the DMV, interested applicants can go to the website, https://sauratownfriends.org/ and click on the link “Pilot Mountain License Plate Application.”  “Friends” member Debbie Vaden welcomes questions or the opportunity to assist Internet searches; therefore, please call 619-987-6257.  

Instructions: 

• Make checks payable to “Friends of Sauratown Mountains” and apply the postdate of January 1st, 2022.  (Twenty dollars of the thirty-dollar annual fee will go toward projects supporting Pilot Mountain State Park.) 
• Send applications and checks to “Friends of Sauratown Mountain,” PO Box 353, Danbury, NC 27016.  (A failed project will result in the return of all personalized checks.) 
• Recipients can expect to receive their special plate by late Spring 2022. 
• At the time of renewal, all drivers of specialized and personalized plates pay a standard fee. 

Tell your family and friends!  Spread the word through social media platforms!  With your help, the North Carolina DMV can add “Pilot Mountain, National Landmark” plates to its numbers.  Imagine the drivers who will see the license plate and say, “That’s attractive! I want one, too!”