Wednesday, Sandy and I both had off, so we took Alex for a day hike at Crowders Mountain State Park. We got to the park around 10 and first got Alex's passport stamped.
Then we set out on Crowders Trail to the park's namesake. Across the road, we turned right to get on Rock Top Trail and started climbing steeply up the ridge.
There are some great rock scrambling sections along this trail. We took a break once up on the ridge to enjoy the views.
At one spot, there was a nice view of the cliffs along Crowders Mountain with the Charlotte skyline visible in the distance.
Then we continued on to the summit of Crowders Mountain. It was crowded here with hikers and rock climbers so we didn't stay long. Taking Backside Trail back down, we turned left on Crowders Trail and took that back towards the visitor center. Going straight, we got on Pinnacle Trail and headed up to the highest point in the park.
The last rock scramble to get up to the top is a little tricky and Alex was having trouble. So I found an easier way to get up and we had a nice break up here.
There were some nice views up here, but it was pretty crowded too.
On the way, to make a loop, we took Turnback Trail to go back to the visitor center. This trail was a lot less crowded than the others.
Before heading home, we stopped in Gastonia and had a great dinner at Hickory Tavern. The staff were very sweet to Alex. After dinner, we made the drive home.
Then we set out on Crowders Trail to the park's namesake. Across the road, we turned right to get on Rock Top Trail and started climbing steeply up the ridge.
There are some great rock scrambling sections along this trail. We took a break once up on the ridge to enjoy the views.
At one spot, there was a nice view of the cliffs along Crowders Mountain with the Charlotte skyline visible in the distance.
Then we continued on to the summit of Crowders Mountain. It was crowded here with hikers and rock climbers so we didn't stay long. Taking Backside Trail back down, we turned left on Crowders Trail and took that back towards the visitor center. Going straight, we got on Pinnacle Trail and headed up to the highest point in the park.
The last rock scramble to get up to the top is a little tricky and Alex was having trouble. So I found an easier way to get up and we had a nice break up here.
There were some nice views up here, but it was pretty crowded too.
On the way, to make a loop, we took Turnback Trail to go back to the visitor center. This trail was a lot less crowded than the others.
Before heading home, we stopped in Gastonia and had a great dinner at Hickory Tavern. The staff were very sweet to Alex. After dinner, we made the drive home.
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