Stamp #17: Andrew Jackson State Park

On our way home from Kin's Mountain State Park, we stopped nearby at Andrew Jackson State Park. It's a small state park with 25 campsite with water and electric. There's a small lake and fishing pier. The focus of the park is the Andrew Jackson statue and historic school house. It's a rustic little state park with quaint shelters and restroom buildings.

Rating: ****
Entrance fee: $2
Restrooms: clean, rustic
Parking: plentiful
Rangers: office closed
Trails: short

Amenities: gift shop, playground, 2 shelters, amphitheatre, museum
Park Stamp: outside office

Stamp #16 Kings Mountain State Park

Kings Mountain State Park is an upstate park located right on the border of SC and NC. It is located next to the Kings Mountain National Military Park. The park features 115 campsites with water and electric., 10 tent sites with water, primitive group camping, 5 picnic shelters, 2 lakes, and 20 miles of hiking trails. The park is well-known for it's Living History Farm, an 1800s replica Piedmont farm.

Replica Farm

The campsites are spacious and wooded. But no campground can promise solitude from the noise of a Girl Scout troop on a daddy/daughter camping weekend. These Girl Scouts were tent camping right across from our campsite. They were largely unsupervised Friday night and all day Saturday. The noise from their campsite was unbearable and lasted way past "quiet time" 10pm. Since I'm a former Girl Scout leader and I fully support the Girl Scout program, I didn't complain to the camp host or ranger. I didn't get much sleep either since they were up and loud way before 6 am. These Girl Scouts apparently have not learned the main Girl Scout motto: "Leave a place better than you found it" as they left the bath house disgusting and they threw rocks at my daughter-in-law and grand daughter when they were int he shower. (To be fair, I think they thought it was a fellow Girl Scout, but they did not apologize when they realized it was not.)

Interpretive signs along the trail.

My hiking buddy.

400 stairs to the top!

Just a short drive from Kings Mountain is Crowder Mountain State Park in NC. The hike up the mountain was one of our most difficult hikes with it being nearly straight up. The view at the top was worth it.

Rocky top at Crowder's Mountain

Rating: ****
Entrance fee: $2
Restrooms: clean, except when a Girl Scout troop trashes it!
Parking: plentiful
Rangers: on duty
Trails: Ridgeline Trail connect 3 parks, 2 states

Amenities: Living History Farm, canoe/kayak launch, gift shop, playground, equestrian trails
Park Stamp: in gift shop. Ask attendant.

Stamp #15 Cheraw State Park

Trail Map

One Saturday in September we decided to "get stamped" at another SC State Park, so we drove to Cheraw State Park. Cheraw State Park is one of only two SC State Parks that offers golf. Cheraw Sate Park Gold Course is an 18-hole championship course that is a major feature of this state park. Unfortunately, this was one of the few features of this state park that we were able to enjoy on our visit. The main part of the state park, the visitor's center, picnic area, camping area and playground we all blocked off and closed to visitors. There was not notice at the gate or online, so we were disappointed that we had driven so far to visit this park, only to be turned away! We were only able to view the golf course, a small section of the lake, the nature trail and the cabins. There was no park ranger anywhere to be found to explain why the park was blocked off to visitors.

The only trail we had access to today.

View of the lake from the golf course.

One of the park cabins.

Rating: ***
Entrance fee: none
Restrooms: Only restroom available was on golf course and was broken, clogged, and nasty.
Parking: plentiful
Rangers: not available
Trails: nature trail

Amenities: 17 campsites, primitive camping area, 2 picnic shelters, boat ramp, playground, 
Park Stamp: not available (area closed)