Crowders Mountain State Park - Boulders Access Area — Attraction in Kings Mountain

Love this area and have hiked it in spring, summer and fall. This was my first winter hike here. Hiked from the Boulders Access point on this visit and loved the mix of wooded trails and lake side trails. Not too much elevation, but enough to get the circulation going! In general, signage and blazing is exceptionally well done. Hard to get lost. One exception was shortly before midpoint when we had to search about 10 minutes for the trail. Turned out a blazed tree has fallen, just where the trail made a turn. Even after we found the Blazer on the fallen tree, it was difficult to know which why the blaze had originally pointed. The loop trail we took Incorporated several other trails, two with trailheads that had restrooms. Though the restrooms were primitive with TP but no hand sanitizer, it was nice that they were open, even in the dead of winter. At one lakeside point there was an interesting homemade memorial to a pre-teen girl who apparently drowned at the spot several years ago. Nice that sort of memorial that is allowed...

The boulders here are quite amazing for the area, with a huge variety of challenging problems some being monolithic in size. This place hasn't always been open to the public either. It has a rich history of teens from the 70s coming to the top of what they called "Rocky Knob" to drink beers. The ambiance is palpable on a good day with views of Charlotte and the Blue Ridge Mountains on clear days. Though this review is specifically related to my enjoyment of bouldering within the park it is also an access to the ridge trail that goes from Kings Mountain State Park all the way across the spine of mountains that are in Crowders Mountain State Park. Sure to give hikers and trail runners a...

Crowders Mountain State Park is a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of city and suburban life. They have miles of well-maintained and well-marked, easy-to-follow trails. With beautiful sights along the way. I saw lots of interesting mushrooms during my hike yesterday (mid-August). They also have lots of areas to go rock climbing and bouldering (permits available at the park office). I parked at the Boulder Access Area and hiked Ridgeline Trail to Boulder Overlook (highly recommended for anyone who plans to participate in bouldering while...