PILOT MOUNTAIN, N.C. — Ann Anderson has been hiking Pilot Mountain since she moved to the area in 1981. It’s become part of her routine, she says. She tries to wake up early each morning to capture the sunrise. 

What You Need To Know

  • Ann Anderson is the creator of the Pilot Mountain license plates

  • You can fill out an application to receive yours

  • A portion of the proceeds go to the Friends of Sauratown Mountains

After noticing other places and things in North Carolina had their own specialized license plate, she wanted to do one for Pilot Mountain. 

She contacted the mayor of the town of Pilot Mountain and he put her in touch with the Friends of Sauratown Mountains. They are a group of people who help to protect and preserve Pilot and Hanging Rock mountains. 

Anderson said a lot of planning went into designing the license plates. 

“Pilot Mountain is a guide and when we were looking up the initials to go on the side of the plate, they did some research and determined it was the great guide for the pioneers and Native Americans who lived in the area,” she said. “It was called the great guide, so we thought that’s perfect to put great guide on the license.”

Anderson said between COVID-19 and meeting with legislators, the entire process took two years. The first batch of license plates was mailed out in November. 

She couldn’t be more proud of the work that went into these license plates and is super excited. She said people immediately went out and put them on their car.

“They've been driving around with it and I think it's a good sense of community for folks who love the mountain,” Anderson said. 

When a forest fire broke out on Pilot Mountain during the weekend of Dec. 2, 2021, Anderson and other residents nearby were scared and nervous of what this would do to the park. She said this made the awareness for the license plate grow. 

“We knew the importance of getting the license plate to help support the work that would need to be done on the trails,” Anderson said. “Some of the woodwork along the trails was burned, a number of trees had fallen and volunteers from friends really stepped forward and have done a lot of the repair work.”

Pilot Mountain Park Superintendent Jason Anthony said that if the park didn’t do prescribed fires before the wildfire in 2021, then the fuel buildup would have been greater and it would have been even more devastating.