Travelling Bimbler: Crowder’s Mountain State Park – Charlotte, NC

I figure since I have to travel, I might as well see some sights. I don’t usually opt for the “cultural” sights of the city, but the more challenging, geographic kinds. This trip I venture outside of Charlotte, NC and head to Crowder’s Mountain State Park. The park is located in Kings Mountain, NC and is close to the South Carolina border. A colleague of mine mentioned she enjoys day-hiking there, but warned me that there is often rif-raf, and the trails are very challenging. Perfect!!!

Side note: colleague also mentioned that a hiker / climber was found dead on the trail just a couple months ago. The cause was likely a disastrous mis-step off the trail & into a crevice (or whatever geologists call them). Crevasse???

Undeterred, I strap on the gear – including documentation device (iPhone aka “Bugsy”) and personal security device (aka “Waterbottle”) and hit the trail. I started on the Crowder’s Trail adjacent to the Visitor’s Center & made my way through a coniferous copse. At my friend’s recommendation, I took the Rocktop Trail ascent – which was not unlike our very own Bluff Head Hill. I had to pick my way up from time to time, but would trip into a burst of jogging from time to time. It is indeed very steep & leads up to the summit of Crowder’s Mountain.

The trail actually made me feel at home, it was very similar to Metabasset / Westwoods system – with the exception of the trees (and the heat). After several minutes of quick-step ascent, I found my way to the first plateau & stopped to take some pics. I was heading along the ridgeline up the mountain at this point, and at each break in the treeline, I was rewarded with some awesome vistas.

After passing a few hikers (heading the opposite direction) it became clear that folk at this state park aren’t accustomed to many trail runners. However, my research turned up a small local 50k held each year here on this very trail & directed by a group called the Runners From Hell. For a giggle, read the waiver on their Crowder’s 50k entry form.

On my way to the peak, I was forced with several situations that I hadn’t experienced before. First, I had to leap over quite a few of those darn crevices and “stick the landing” before hopping over another set. To miss would, at a minimum, assure me a cracked ankle and some strawberry legs. At worst, I’m thinking I could have been stuck there for a while half-in & half-out, with mountain goblins pulling me into the mouth of the mountain. Oh my! I hopped carefully though & made it through the difficulties without awakening the Balrog.

The views from either side were tremendous & I really felt like I could see the “Metrolina” area as it was before suburban sprawl reshaped the landscape. There are so many trees in this area and you can easily see piedmont formations ultimately leading to the mountains in the west. I also saw a Waffle House in the distance, so I kept running.

On the way down, I encounted another interesting geological feature of the park: stairs! I mean, come on Bimble! They even have stairs in North Carolina! We need to get busy in Westwoods people! The stairs were, in fact, the WORST part of the run. My size 11 were about 50% too large for each step, so for what I think was approximately 300-350 steps, I had to make the decision as to which step to land on each time. It was too steep to run along side the steps, so I was forced to take it slowly. More descriptions and pictures of the steps can be found in NC Ultrarunner’s blog entry here.

After the stairs and a very steep gravel / scree downhill, I made a sharp left back onto the Crowder’s Trail and returned to the visitors center. The return trip was excellent & gently undulating through a pungent pine forest. I passed one lone runner on the backside, and nearly scared the bejesus out of her. Sorry!

The round trip took me about an hour, discounting for time spent taking pictures and dreaming of Balrogs. My next visit will add the King’s Pinnacle loop, which add another ascent smaller than Crowder’s Peak, but worth the visit according to my colleague. In general, it’s not a weekly run due to the 45-50 minute drive from Charlotte. But, for a challenging long run with some great climbs and speedy descents – it’s worth a return visit or two.