Crowders Mountain State Park, NC

Crowders Mountain State Park is just across the South Carolina border in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. I'm biased towards this state park because this where I was introduce to hiking. I took my first backpacking trip here when I was in high school and immediately became adicted. Obviously, I've been going to Crowders for years now and I have done all the trails there, but I still enjoy this place each time I go. The state park boundaries includes two great peaks, Crowders Mountain (1,625 feet) and Kings Pinnacle (1,705 feet), that rise up 800 feet above its surroundings just west of downtown Charlotte.



The amazing thing about the views once you're on top of one of these peaks is that you can look east and see downtown Charlotte and look west and see the South Mountains - and even the Blue Ridge Mountains on a clear day! Even though the views are spectacular during the day, the sunsets and the stargazing here are unbelievably amazing! All the trails here are well blazed and the camping is great - tent pads, water sources, picnic tables and firepits.

Lisa, Mallory (aka the dog) and I took an overnight trip to Crowders Mountain State Park on 5/30/09. FYI, this was Lisa's first camping trip she had ever been on. We arrived early enough to get our camp area set up and rest for a while before we would tackle Kings Pinnacle just before dusk to watch the sun set. We took the Pinnacle Trail from the camping area to the summit, about 1.5 miles. This trail is listed as strenous, but it's actually not that bad other than the elevation change and the rugged terrain. Either way, the trek to the top is well worth it.



The next morning we woke up, packed up camp and hiked back to the parking area. Lisa survived her first camping excursion and was ready for the next outting.

Until the next hike,

~ Ryan