By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The Pinnacle (also known as Mont Pinacle) and its trails, in Parc Harold F. Baldwin, has recently changed its model from free of charge to pay-per-use. The Record spoke with the Pinnacle’s director general, Annick Antaya, to see how things were going.
The model change was made during the height of the pandemic, she began. So many people were visiting that the trails were being enlarged and eroded. Crowds of people make the experience less pleasurable, she added. Thus, they decided to change to a pay and reservation model to lessen trail traffic.
The recent July rains contributed to trail erosion as well, she continued. They had to close trail number five because it was so muddy. It was reopened quickly, she said, and will be modified to prevent future similar problems. The rest of trails are draining well and relatively undamaged, “which is good news,” she stated. All trails are now open.
Visitor numbers this year have been, “less than expected,” she explained. The bad weather in July lessened the number of customers and tickets sold. “Our activities depend on the weather.” They may have to re-evaluate their financial model going forward, she added.
“We have a large team [that runs the Pinnacle],” she said. Many employees are seasonal, but Antaya works full time. Some employees are available at the information desk and some patrol the trails to make sure everything and everyone are safe.
