Kings Mountain National Military Park

Lovely park with a nice 1.5 mile walking trail! My 10 year old enjoyed doing the Jr Ranger activity book and earning park badge.

This is about 45 minutes South of Charlotte.
This is a very nice National Park and I didn’t realize what a big deal the battle at Kings Mtn was to the Revolutionary War. The Visitor Center is very nice with a theatre and museum. A great bookstore/​gift store as well.
They do re-​enactments starting in April and running through October. The anniversary of the battle is October 7 (I think) and that is usually the biggest re-​enactment. The 100^th anniversary of the NPS is this year.
Got lucky and got there right before they were starting the guided Battlefield Tour. Leah was the tour guide and she did a great job and was really good about answering questions. The tour lasts about an hour and if you like history it’s pretty cool.
They have refurbished the path around the battlefield and it makes for an easier walk which is good because there is quite a bit of incline to it.
Clarks Creek Trail (blue blazed) is a great 6 mile out to Lake Crawford and back. Very pretty, but moderately strenuous because of the incline coming back.
I’d definitely go back.

This is an interesting site of an important event in American history. At Kings Mountain, Colonials defeated a significant Loyalist force. Walking areas are very good through the hilly, tree-​covered site. Park rangers are knowledgeable and professional.

It was great to see a part of American History that is often overlooked, which is the campaign in the Southern States during the Revolutionary War. The park rangers were quite friendly as well in giving me tips and information and it was obvious they were enthusiastic about their work.

We headed to King’s Mountain National Military Park to check out the historical stuff and go for a nice hike. If you are an American history buff and want to learn a bit more about the American Revolution, or just want to go for a nice hike, this is the place to go.
The park is staffed by informative rangers, and when we went on Saturday there were a few re-​enactors who were displaying camp life and military drills. The main attraction at the park is the 1.5 mile walk that loops around. The walk is steep at some parts, but there are plenty of benches at regular intervals if you need to take a break. There are also several stops along the way to indicate where important events took place during the Battle of King’s Mountain. I will say this… we went in August and it was pretty darn hot. The temperature combined with the steep walking made an uncomfortable experience. I would recommend coming in the Fall when it’s a bit cooler and more bearable outside.
There is also a visitor’s center located in front that has the usual souvenier shop with ridiculous prices, as well as a nifty museum that has some movies and artifacts. I particularly enjoyed checking out the swords and rifles from the time period.
King’s Mountain is definitely a place for anyone interested in American history. The Battle of King’s Mountain was a decisive moment during the American Revolution, and it’s neat to be able to see where it went down, especially if you are living in the area.

Visited the park on a sunny day in October, The movie at the visitor’s center was very helpful if you do not know about the revolutionary was battle that took place here. I then did the 1.5 mile walk around the battlefield site. Be prepared to walk up the mountain but the walk really showed what the soldiers had to climb to get to the British. There are cell phone stops along the way (if you get service) that were very helpful. If you are a revolutionary war buff this is one of the sites to see because it was one of the battles that turn the course of the was.

Friendly and helpful staff. The video offered in the auditorium is de rigueur
for any visit (I wasn’t so familiar with the military actions here prior to the film). I had to give it a relatively low rating due to the fact that the most important trail, the battlefield trail, was closed. This may be due to the heavy snow and ice that hit the area in Jan ’11, but it definitely detracted from the experience. I’ll update when I go back later in the year… after calling to confirm the trails as being open in advance of course. Makes for a good day-​trip out of Charlotte as the area is well forested and «should» offer some good hiking and historical experiences.