Hiking to the top of Crowders Mountain near Charlotte in North Carolina

My partner and I really enjoyed our hike at Pilot Mountain, and we were looking for another mountain hike to do near Charlotte, NC. We finally opted for Crowders Mountain, located about forty kilometres from town.

Like Pilot Mountain, Crowders Mountain is a monadnock (also sometimes called inselberg), an isolated hill that significantly dominates a plain. It’s not a very high mountain (the summit is at an elevation of 495 metres / 1,624 feet), but because the surrounding area is fairly flat, we could see it from a distance as we approached via I-85.

The mountain is located within the state park that bears its name (Crowders Mountain State Park). There are a few different ways to get to the summit, but we opted to park at the Linwood Road Access, and follow a loop of about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles).

We were surprised to find the parking lot quite full, even though it was a weekday. But it was sunny and warm, and since we weren’t very far from Charlotte (which is, after all, the largest city in North Carolina), I guess it was only natural that this trail was quite busy.

Like we did when we hiked to the top of Hawksbill Mountain in Virginia, we decided to start on the longer trail – but with the less steep climb – to get to the summit. So we first set off on the Tower Trail, following the loop clockwise.

I was surprised to quickly realize that this “trail” looked more like a gravel road. At one point, a State Park truck even drove by us, on its way up the mountain. But even if it had less charm than a narrow trail winding between the trees, the forest was still very pretty on this lovely day.

And even though we were following a road, that doesn’t mean it didn’t offer a good climb. Although not very difficult, this trail had a few steep parts and still gave us good physical exercise.

The Tower Trail eventually led us to the Rocktop Trail, a trail that follows the mountain ridge. From there, we only had a few more metres to go, and we reached the transmission towers at the top of the mountain. The towers took away a little from the charm of the place, but we had reached the summit, and we had conquered another mountain in North Carolina!

Fortunately, after the towers, the trail leads a few metres further to a viewpoint over the surrounding landscape. There were many people there, sitting on the rocks, also enjoying the view. The forest all around the mountain seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. On a clear day, it is also possible to see Charlotte’s skyline in the distance. I understand why this place is so popular. For a small mountain, the view was impressive.

We didn’t stay very long at the summit as it was really crowded (just long enough to eat a few donuts bought at Krispy Kreme on our way to the state park). So we continued our hike, this time following the Backside Trail. This trail took us down the mountain via a long series of stairs. Nothing very difficult, but let’s just say I was happy to have to go down these steps, not up them!

The stairs eventually gave way to a gravel path, which led us back to where we started. In total, we covered 4.4 kilometres (2.7 miles), with an elevation gain of 269 metres (882 feet). It wasn’t the most eventful hike, but it was a perfect stop on the road to stretch our legs.

Crowders Mountain State Park has another peak called The Pinnacle, located a little further south, as well as a campground. But for us, it will be a project for next time, as we were heading towards another state park, located just on the other side of the border with South Carolina: Kings Mountain State Park.