SC State Park Kings Mountain State Park

Checked at the campground at Kings Mountain while we just visiting it for the day. Nice park, not too far off I-85 and right at the NC border. There is a trail that connects to Crowder Mountain State Park in NC and it is also located next to the Kings Mountain National Battlefield. The battle was an American Revolutionary War battle between mostly Patriots and Tories. The one British officer never left the mountain. Go to the NPS's website for info on the battle or if you like Bluegrass music, Grandpa Jones does a pretty good job with his version of "Sweet Lips (the Battle of Kings Mountain)."


The campground as 115 sites, all gravel with a picnic table and fire ring. Located under mostly tall pines, there is not much understory so not a lot of privacy between sites. If I was camping I would not want want one of the first 40 sites, they are really close and pretty small back in sites, probably better suited for tents. Beginning with site 41 they had more room in each site and especially if you stayed on the outside. The second loop seemed to have more space and again I would prefer the outside of this loop. Playground near the campground and there is a small lake. In the summer, they do rent canoes/kayaks. There are a lot of trails and this park does have an equestrian area if you do bring your horse with your Camp Inn.

This is a beautiful area and with the proximity to the battlefield and the NC park, a lot to do in the outdoors. The battle reenactment is Oct every year at the date of the battle. There are a lot of other Revolutionary battle sites in this area too. You are no more than an hour's drive to Charlotte, NC and about 20 miles away from Rock Hill, SC. Even though it has mountain in the name, it is really just a giant rock, a monadnock. If you have ever seen Stone Mountain in Atlanta, it is the same thing, this one just has trees all over it.

Kings Mountain | South Carolina Parks Official Site

 

We stayed there 20 plus years ago when passing thru on our way south. We got there after dark and it was late in the season. We went to the pit toilet and there was a sign to be on the look out for poisonous snakes - I was hoping my wife did not see it, but she did. The only other campers we saw were a group blaring country music and flying a stars and bars confederate flag. We set up our tent as far away as possible and saw no snakes. We got up early and headed out so we never saw much of the park but we still laugh about our stay there. We will have to stop again and spend more time.

 

No pit toilets there now. In fact on the loop, the bathhouse looked to be brand new. That group of counties in that area of SC were kind of notorious at one time for that up thing. You might see a Confederate flag or two in a lot of places still, but that was one of 2 areas in the state with some bad history. As Charlotte as grown, that has changed York county a lot. Taxes are cheaper in SC and you are only 30 miles from Midtown Charlotte.

Anytime we go someplace new to camp down here, I was always tell my wife hopefully we get the better kind of Carolina Redneck instead of the rough and tumble variety. I'm from SC, my wife, Mary Ellen, is from New York, but lived here for 30 plus year now.

 

We recently moved to Pennsylvania from Maryland and I see more Confederate flags flown here than I saw below the Mason Dixon line.

 

My wife is from New York but her father was from Ohio and when we go there, we see lots of them.