Rising thousands of feet above the Shasta and Rogue valleys, it is a landmark distinguishable from over 40 miles (64 km) away.

[1][4] It was created when andesitic magma broke through a weak spot in the Earth's crust and solidified beneath the surface, forming a plug.

[1][4] Argon–argon dating shows that the rock is approximately 25.6 million years old,[2][4] making it one of the oldest volcanic formations in the Cascades,[5][6] but much younger than the 425 million-year-old Siskiyou Mountains nearby.

[1][2][4][5] The joints are tilted about 20 degrees to the east due to the gradual uplift of the Siskiyou Mountains to the west.

[4] Pilot Rock is located in the eastern Klamath Mountains ecoregion and is surrounded by dense mixed coniferous forest.

Wildflowers such as wild strawberries, larkspur, columbine, lupine, and paintbrush grow in the spring and summer.