Of the hill he states "no doubt it is mainly a natural feature, but there are distinct traces of its having been trimmed and the approach steepened at several points".

[4] The Pike was a meeting place of political activists in 1801 through a group known as the United Englishmen, a clandestine revolutionary republican organisation advocating universal suffrage and uprisings across the UK, they sought assistance from the French.

[5][6][7] The Pike, being located on Winter Hill was one of the destinations in the UK's largest mass trespass, which occurred in 1896, when 10,000 people marched to enforce their rights of way.

[8] The prominent summit of Rivington Pike hill has a mound with a circular trench, this was the site of one of a series of beacons spanning England as an early warning system.

The beacon here was one of the famous examples used in Elizabethan England to warn of the approaching Spanish Armada, lit on 19 July 1588.

[10] An artificial beacon was lit with projection of the Flag of the United Kingdom onto the Pike Tower, in celebration for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2022.

The Pike hill was the site of an ancient beacon; the tower's foundation is made from stone found there and was built as a hunting lodge.

[14][15] Rivington Pike Easter Fair was held annually on Whit Saturday, until the arrival of the Manchester and Bolton Railway's extension to Preston and the opening of Blackrod railway station in 1841 which brought more visitors, after which the Fair was moved to Good Friday in 1900, by then a bank holiday weekend.

[21] The Winter Hill mass trespass occurred in 1896, a march of 10,000 people descended on the moorland and up to the Pike from Bolton on two weekends to enforce their rights to roam.

[24] A further attempt by the water company to introduce an act of Parliament in 1997 was rejected after public opposition with the support of the local MP.

[31] The area is popular with walkers and many other road users including horse riders, mountain bikes, and motorcycles, and may be accessed by suitable cars.

Footpaths and bridleways provide access to the hillside and surrounding moorland, protected by CROW, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

[35] The Pike hill summit was included on the map presented by Lord Leverhulme to Bolton as part of the lands donated for the creation of Lever Park and as such there is a right to 'free and uninterrupted enjoyment'.

The popular routes to the summit are via footpath 82, through the terraced gardens and via bridleway 98 past Higher Knoll farm.