Kings Mountain National Military Park

Kings Mountain National Military Park preserves the site of the key Revolutionary War engagement fought on October 7, 1780. The park is administered by the National Park Service and interprets the battle between Patriot militia and Loyalist forces.

The park offers a visitor center with exhibits, a self-guided driving tour, and short trails that lead to monuments and interpretive markers. Several overlooks and markers identify militia lines and the main action areas on the ridge where the battle occurred.

The battle at Kings Mountain was fought in 1780 when mainly American frontiersmen confronted Loyalist troops under Major Patrick Ferguson. The Patriot victory had strategic consequences for the British Southern campaign and the site was later preserved to commemorate that action.

The park sits on the border region between South Carolina and North Carolina near the town of Blacksburg, South Carolina, on a wooded ridge known as Kings Mountain.

• Administration: Maintained by the National Park Service with short interpretive trails and a self-guided driving tour that covers principal battlefield locations.
• Battle Date and Significance: The decisive engagement took place on October 7, 1780, and is considered a turning point in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War.

What to See#

• Visitor Center and Driving Tour: Includes a visitor center with exhibits about the 1780 battle and a marked driving loop that highlights key positions on the battlefield.
• Monument and Battle Sites: Kings Mountain Monument and several interpretive markers locate the main engagement sites and militia positions from the battle of October 7, 1780.

• Start your visit in the cool morning hours to walk the park's trails and tour the battlefield markers before late-day heat and visitor traffic increase.
• Begin at the main visitor center to pick up a map and talk to rangers about self-guided routes and living-history schedules so you can follow the most historically significant stops in logical order.
• Don't skip the interpretive trail markers and monument inscriptions along the battlefield loop - they pinpoint skirmish sites and perspectives that give the best sense of troop movements and the park's significance.