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Welcome to South East Camper, We have upgraded our entire site to a blog format.
We hope you like it. By setting it up as a blog it will be much easier to update.
All the information seen on the old webpages will stay intact and will also be included
in our New SouthEast Camper Blog.
This has been a long time coming and since my last update.
I have plenty of new recipes, pictures and more to add.
I've moved into my new house and have settled in.
It is time to build a fire and start cooking.
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* Crowders Mountain State Park *
Gastonia, North Carolina
History
Park Map
Trailhead: From Charlotte, Take I-85 to exit 13, Turn left on Edgewood Road to Kings Mountain Highway (State Route 29/74), Go through light to on Archie Whitesides Road), Follow to end, Turn left on Sparrow Springs Rd,
Look for park entrance on right, The Linwood Road Access.
(Latitude: 35.14443 Longitude: -81.16164)
* Tower Trail & Back Trail *
Hike Type: Day Hike
Distance: 2.9 miles, about 2 hours
Scenery: 
Difficulty: 
Trail Conditions:
Highlights: On a clear day you can see downtown Charlotte over twenty miles away.
Summary:
We hiked these trails on a cool overcast day and it was worth it. The Tower Trail is a well maintained maintenance road which winds around the mountain to the Tower Overlook. This route is a moderately strenuous hike. The Backside Trail is steep and strenuous, but gets you to the top quick. There are benches along the trail for a rest and over a hundred steps near the top. Most people take the Backside Trail to get to the top fast then leisurely stroll down the Tower Trail back to the trailhead, either ways it's a nice hike. The best times to visit is the spring and fall avoiding the summer heat.
Here we are at the trailhead and the start of the Tower Trail.
View of the valley looking towards South Carolina and more of the Tower Trail.
A marker at the overlook and more views to the south.
The Backside Trail is fairly steep with a lot of steps at the top and then a look back up to Crowders Mountain..
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* History of Crowders Mountain *
Crowder's Mountain is one of two main peaks within Crowder's Mountain State Park, the other peak being King's Pinnacle. The park is located in the western Piedmont of North Carolina between the cities of King's Mountain and Gastonia or about 25 miles west of Charlotte. Crowder's Mountain abruptly rises nearly 800 feet above the surrounding terrain, and has an elevation of 1,625 feet (495 meters) above sea level.
The mountain was named after Ulrich Crowder, a German merchant and farmer who in 1789 purchased the mountain and surrounding land before moving west. In the early 1970's plans were made to develop and excavate the mountain for natural resources; this led the city council of Gastonia, North Carolina and other concerned citizens to purchase the mountain from developers and give it to the state government. In 1974 the State of North Carolina created Crowders Mountain State Park. The mountain presents sheer rock cliffs which are 100 - 150 feet in height, and which are popular among rock climbers. Several hiking trails lead to the mountain's summit, from which it is possible to view the skyscrapers of nearby Charlotte, North Carolina on a clear day.
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