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Explore the Piedmont on Kings Mountain Trails

Marie McAden Marie McAden
A former staffer with The Miami Herald, Marie moved to SC in 1992. She is passionate about the outdoors, and enjoys exploring the state’s many natural treasures from the Lowcountry to the Upstate.
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Kings Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain National Military Park encompass more than 10,000 acres of heavily forested terrain.

It might be famous for the important Revolutionary War battle fought on its namesake summit, but Kings Mountain is more than just a historical landmark. It's a prime hiking venue in the shadow of the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Together, Kings Mountain National Military Park and Kings Mountain State Park offer a half-dozen trails through more than 10,000 acres of stunning Piedmont terrain. Hiking options include everything from the easy .7-mile Kings Mountain Trail to the famed battlefied to the taxing 16-mile trek that takes you through both the military and state parks.

The Kings Mountain loop winds through hardwood forests and gently rolling hills.

A National Recreation Trail, the Kings Mountain loop winds through hardwood forest, up and down gently rolling hills, past granite outcroppings and along a stream toward the historic battlefield. Three trailside campsites are located along the route for those who prefer to break up the trek into two hikes.

The state park also features the out-and-back Ridgeline Trail that runs 1.8 miles to North Carolina's Crowders Mountain State Park and the 1.5-mile Historic Farm Trail, a leisurely walk through a replica of a 19th-century yeoman farmstead. Along the way, you'll have the chance to see a two-story farmhouse, barn, smokehouse, blacksmith shop and cotton gin.

Hikers are rewarded with a beautiful view from the top of Browns Mountain, the tallest summit in Kings Mountain Military Park.

The national military park offers several more hiking choices. Clarks Creek Trail starts off with a pretty walk along the banks of the creek and then climbs into a mixed hardwood forest, weaving its way to Kings Mountain State Park's Lake Crawford, a 13-acre lake built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Up and back, it's a six-mile hike.

Browns Mountain Trail leads to the highest of three monadnocks in the military park. Although it's just 1,035 feet above sea level, Browns Mountain juts above the surrounding flatland, offering a nice view from the summit. This one's also an out-and-back trail totaling five miles both ways.

For more information on the Kings Mountain National Military Park trails, click here. To learn more about the state park trails, click here.

Marie McAden
A former staffer with The Miami Herald, Marie moved to SC in 1992. She is passionate about the outdoors, and enjoys exploring the state’s many natural treasures from the Lowcountry to the Upstate.