Kings Mountain National Military Park
Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success." The battle of Kings Mountain, fought October 7th, 1780, was an important American victory during the Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major patriot victory to occur after the British invasion of Charleston, SC in May 1780. The park preserves the site of this important battle.
About under an hour from Charlotte by car.
Alerts
- CautionPark Wide Caution
Visitors should exercise caution when hiking areas of the park. Hazards on trails and in forested areas such as hanging tree limbs, debris on the ground, and washed-out sections of trails and bridges are possible.
- InformationAmerica the Beautiful Passes Temporary Unavailable
At this time all sales of America the Beautiful Passes are temporary unavailable. Please check https://store.usgs.gov/recreational-passes for locations. We will advise when passes are available for sale. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Kings Mountain National Military Park | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Kings Mountain National Military Park ↗Passport stamp
The visitor center has a movie, a bookstore operated by America's National Parks, and a museum. The museum has artifacts from the battle and audio exhibits inside walk-in trees that resemble the 1780 battlefield.
Explore
Things to do
- Become a Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Junior Ranger1-5 Days
The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Junior Ranger Program features five units of the National Park Service! Complete the activities and earn a Junior Ranger badge!
Opens on the Park Service site - OVVI Junior Ranger
Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Junior Ranger booklet and directions.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Howser House Open House11/2810:00 AM · free
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Shiloh Presbyterian Church CemeterySite · Grover · 3.2 mi
- Margrace Mill Village Historic DistrictHistoric district · Kings Mountain · 6 mi
- United States Post OfficeBuilding · Kings Mountain · 7.3 mi
- Jacob S. Mauney Memorial Library and Teacher's HomeBuilding · Kings Mountain · 7.4 mi
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 122 birds, 30 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsBald Eagle · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-Owl · Great Horned Owl · Northern Harrier · Osprey · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada Goose · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Common Snipe · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Rock Pigeon · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-headed Vireo · Blue-winged Warbler · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Brown-headed Nuthatch · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Cedar Waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-Pewee · European Starling · Field Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · House Finch · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Waterthrush · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Scarlet Tanager · Song Sparrow · Summer Tanager · Tennessee Warbler · Tufted Titmouse · Warbling Vireo · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler
Small mammalsAmerican beaver · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern gray squirrel · eastern mole · golden mouse · least shrew · muskrat · southern flying squirrel · southern short-tailed shrew · white-footed mouse · woodland vole
PredatorsAmerican black bear · bobcat · coyote · gray fox · long-tailed weasel · mink · raccoon · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
Batsbig brown bat · eastern red bat · evening bat · hoary bat · northern bat · silver-haired bat · tri-colored bat
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · woodchuck
Weather & climate
Temperatures for the area range from very hot and humid in the summer to cool and moderate in the winter.
Questions people ask
Does Kings Mountain charge an entrance fee?
No. Kings Mountain is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Kings Mountain?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 5:00PM, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Kings Mountain right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: America the Beautiful Passes Temporary Unavailable; Park Wide Caution.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Kings Mountain?
175,511 recreation visits in 2025, number 180 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Kings Mountain?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE and AT&T 4G LTE. No reported coverage for T-Mobile. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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