Field Trips

Students enjoy musket drills during a field trip.

NPS

Whether you plan your own trip entirely or would like to meet up with a ranger, there are a variety of opportunities available to educational groups visiting the park. There is no charge for field trips, but all groups must schedule a field trip in advance.

Planning a Field Trip

• Please call the park at [phone] x 2 to schedule your trip.
• There is no fee for the programs at this park.
• Please have two dates in mind when you call in case the first choice is not available.
• Schedule at least two and a half hours for your visit.
• More information about available education programs to help you plan your field trip is available here.

Preparing Your Students

Before visiting the park, help prepare your students to be good stewards of the park by reviewing their park etiquette.

In order for your students to have a safe and enjoyable field trip, they should have:

• Weather appropriate clothing.
• Appropriate footwear. Hiking shoes, boots, or sneakers are recommended. Avoid wearing flip-flops or open-toed footwear.
• It is highly recommended that each student have a bottle of water. Water is available near the visitor center at a bottle refilling station located on the water fountain.

Visitor Center & Museum

The visitor center is open from 9:00AM to 5:00PM Wednesday through Sunday. It features a museum, auditorium, and bookstore where souvenirs can be purchased. The museum features numerous audio-visual displays and artifacts related to the battle. In the auditorium students can view the park film, Frontier Battles: Kings Mountain 1780 (25 minutes).

Trail Information

Battlefield Trail

This 1.5-mile paved trail will take you around the core of the battlefield. It features numerous waysides explaining aspects of the battle, memorials, monuments, and markers to those who fought in the battle, and a preserved section of colonial road. A self-guided cell phone tour is available. Allow approximately 45 minutes for a self-guided tour or 1.5 hours for a ranger led guided. This trail is rated as moderate to strenuous.

Connector Trail/Lake Crawford Trail

This 2.5-mile trail runs between the Kings Mountain National Military Park Visitor Center and the Lake Crawford area in Kings Mountain State Park. The trail is moderate to strenuous and has no benches, bathrooms, or water available. A round-trip hike is 5 miles. This trail lends itself to nature activities.

Browns Mountain Trail

This 2.5-mile trail runs from the Kings Mountain National Military Park Visitor Center to Browns Mountain, the highest point in the park (elevation 1045 ft). The trail is moderate to strenuous and has no benches, bathrooms, or water available. A round-trip hike is 5 miles. This trail lends itself to nature activities.

Amphitheater

There are no picnic tables available at Kings Mountain National Military Park. However, the park amphitheater is available. The amphitheater is outside and features numerous benches. Please bring your own trash bags and carry out any waste.