Crowders Mountain Earthcache EarthCache
Hidden : 9/13/2007
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:




State of North Carolina, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation Special Activity Permit Number 507-399.

Crowders Mountain is a monadnock.

A monadnock or inselberg is an isolated hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In southern and southern-central Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a kopje from the Afrikaans word: koppie. In fact the word koppie is itself frequently employed in written South African English.

Monadnock is an originally Native American term for an isolated hill or a lone mountain that has risen above the surrounding area, typically by surviving erosion. The name was taken from Mount Monadnock in southwestern New Hampshire (USA), in Jaffrey. The name is thought to derive from the Abenaki language, from either menonadenak ("smooth mountain") or menadena ("isolated mountain").

The word inselberg is German for "island mountain"; the name was originally coined to describe the abundant such features found in southern Africa. The term monadnock is more usually used in the US.

Inselbergs are typically, though not only, formed in tropical areas. Volcanic or other processes may give rise to a body of rock resistant to erosion, inside a body of softer rock such as sandstone which is more susceptible to erosion. When the less resistant rock is eroded away to form a plain, the more resistant rock is left behind as an isolated mountain. If the inselberg is dome-shaped and formed from granite-gneiss, it can also be called a bornhardt.

Park history Peaking at 800 feet above the surrounding countryside, resisting the forces of erosion throughout vast periods of time, Crowders Mountain and Kings Pinnacle are remnants of an ancient mountain range. Once the core of mighty mountains that towered thousands of feet above sea level, these surviving peaks are part of the Appalachian chain that formed in the region 450 to 500 million years ago. Geologically classified as kyanite-quartzite monadnocks, only the strength of quartzite has allowed these pinnacles to withstand the wind, water and other forces that eroded less resistant peaks.

Crowders Mountain, at an elevation of 1,625 feet, is a registered natural heritage area that features sheer vertical cliffs ranging from 100 to 150 feet in height. Kings Pinnacle, by contrast, has a round, gentle profile and reaches an elevation of 1,705 feet. These mountains and the saddle that connects them are oriented in a northeast to southwest direction, their slopes facing east and west. Spectacular views await those who ascend these mighty pinnacles.

Prior to the arrival of European settlers, much of the land in the area was natural prairie that was grazed by herds of buffalo. The peaks marked the boundary between the hunting lands of the Catawba and Cherokee Indians, and a major trading route of the Cherokees crossed Crowders Mountain.

By 1775, approximately 80,000 settlers had migrated to the area from northern colonies. A treaty in 1777 allowed white settlers as far west as the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Catawbas retreated peacefully southward, but conflicts between the settlers and Cherokees persisted until after the Revolutionary War.

During the American Revolution, the "over-mountain men" won a major victory for the colonists at nearby Kings Mountain. This small volunteer army was composed of hunters, farmers and herdsmen from the fertile valleys west of the Alleghanies. Their conquest of British loyalists at Kings Mountain marked the first step of defeat that led to Cornwallis' surrender and the end of a long and bitter war. Learn more about this famous battle at nearby Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina.

The discovery of valuable minerals had considerable impact on the area. In 1799 a 17 pound gold nugget was discovered, and another weighing 28 pounds was discovered in 1803. Soon after, significant quantities of the treasured mineral were uncovered near Crowders Mountain. And, until the discovery of gold in California in 1849, North Carolina was the chief gold-producing state in the nation. Hundreds of mines scarred at least 10 counties during this North Carolina gold rush. Kyanite was also mined, and open-pit mining took place near Crowders Mountain, producing a devastating effect on the environment.

When exploratory drilling and excavation began in 1970, the threat that Crowders Mountain would be mined led local citizens to seek its preservation. The Gaston County Conservation Society was organized to alert people to the danger of the loss of the landmark, to block mining operations and to encourage the state to acquire the mountain for a park. Based upon the group's 1971 proposal, the state approved Crowders Mountain as a potential state park, and funds were designated for land acquisition a year later. The new state park opened to the public in 1974, but it was not until 1977 that the summit of Crowders Mountain was included within the park boundary. Kings Pinnacle and additional acreage were acquired in 1987.

In 2000, an additional 2,000-acre segment of land was added to Crowders Mountain State Park. Funded by the NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund and the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, this land connects the state park to Kings Mountain National Military Park and Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina.

To log this cache you must email us the following information/answers and upload the photo:

Each cacher is required to send the required information and not rely on another cacher to provide it. Failure to follow this procedure will result in a deleted log. It is not my job to keep track of your group.

1. Name two common rocks found in these mountains?

2. How did Kings Pinnacle get it's name.

Upload a photo of you/or your group and your GPSr at the above listed coordinates with the Kings Pinnacle sign and mountain in the background.

Driving directions:

From southbound I-85, take exit 13 to Edgewood Road. At the top of the ramp turn left onto Edgewood Road. At the first stoplight, turn right onto Franklin Boulevard/Highway 74 and drive approximately two miles. At the next stoplight, turn left onto Sparrow Springs Road. Continue on Sparrow Springs Road for approximately two miles, and turn right again on Sparrow Springs Road. The main entrance to the park will be on the right in less than one mile.

From northbound I-85, take exit 8 to NC 161. At the top of the ramp turn right onto NC 161 and drive approximately a quarter mile. Then turn left onto Lake Montonia Road/Pinnacle Road and follow it to its end at Sparrow Springs Road. Turn left at the stop sign onto Sparrow Springs Road. The main entrance to the park will be on the left in approximately one mile.


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We became Platinum Earthcache Masters on September 17, 2007.

We were the first to request and receive on July 2, 2011 the Emerald Discovery Award for finding 500 or more Earthcaches.

We received the Diamond Discovery Award on June 17, 2012 for finding 1,000 or more Earthcaches.


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