Camping

We're at Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina. Had a good trip yesterday and got here about 3:00 pm, which has proved to be our pattern. This park has 114 sites and when we arrived, there were just five sites left unreserved. The guy running the check in station was a little incredulous that I would be coming in without a reservation. And there is no price break for being a senior or disabled unless you're a South Carolina resident. Still, it was only $23 a night.

This park is different from most we have stayed at. All parks are different but this one is striking in its character. It is set adjacent to Kings Mountain National Historical Site and together, there is over 11,000 acres of land in the parks. There are two small lakes, but neither is near the camping area. Coming up I85, there is no sign to indicate the state park, only the national one. Driving through the national park and into the state park, there is almost no indication of a state park. The main entrance looks like any other dirt road into the woods. I looked at it and drove by until I came out the other side of the park and realized that must have been it. The whole area is oak forest and the leaf fall has uniformly covered everything. That means it's hard to tell the road from the forest and the sites don't stand out at all. Most are crowded by standing timber and are not nearly level. Many I wouldn't have even tried to get into because of the amount of maneuvering around the trees. I watched a Class A back and fill for 10 minutes trying to get in his spot. I wouldn't attempt to bring an A in here. This place is most suited to pop-ups and small hybrids. There aren't a lot of big fivers here, but there are more large trailers than I would have expected.

This park is a destination for Campers (as opposed to RV'ers or Tourists). It is the home of the Keepers Of The Perpetual Campfire. We have outdoor kitchens and chairs with built in sun shades. A full complement of kids and dogs. Firewood by the truck load. These folks are less the REI crowd and more of the Cabellas, Bass Pro, Wal-Mart group. We have golf carts fully equipped and circulating. Lots of BIG pick up trucks. That's not to say that this group is any less pleasant or entitled to have their fun. It's just striking how homogeneous the park population is. Most of the parks we have stayed at have a more mixed clientèle

It certainly is more attractive to stay here than at the private parks that court the seasonal folks, with their 80 lb. gas cylinders and stacks of pallets for firewood.

Our plan is to stay tonight and then head for home in the morning.