Rendezvous Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Purlear, North Carolina. It was originally established as North Carolina's third state park. From 1984 to early 2022, the park was operated by the North Carolina Forest Service as Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest.

History

Rendezvous Mountain is popularly rumored to have been an assembly point for the Overmountain Men during the Revolutionary War. Colonel Benjamin Cleveland is said to have called militiamen from around Wilkes County, by blowing a large ox horn from the mountain's summit. Cleveland was able to summon over 200 Patriots from the surrounding area to join him on a march to the Battle of Kings Mountain. The route they took is now commemorated by the nearby

Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVHT) is part of the U.S. National Trails System, and N.C. State Trail System. It recognizes the Revolutionary War Overmountain Men, Patriots from what is now East Tennessee who crossed the Una ...

. In 1926, the park's original tract was donated to the state by Judge T. B. Finley of North Wilkesboro for inclusion in the State Park System; however, the unit was never opened to the public due to its small size, inaccessible location, and questionable historic significance. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed roads and trails around the mountain in the 1930s. They also built a cabin near the mountain's summit, which still remains. The land was transferred to the Division of Forestry in 1956. It was later opened to the public in 1984 as an educational state forest. In the early 2000s, the forest was greatly expanded when large tracts along its western boundary became available. The state forest grew to a peak size of . The Appropriations Act of 2021 instructed the NC Forest Service to transfer a mutually agreed upon portion of Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest to the NC Division of Parks and Recreation by February 1, 2022. Since the forest was already split into two disconnected areas, it was agreed that the original tract and all adjoining tracts, which contained the forest's visitor facilities, would be managed as a state park. Meanwhile, the undeveloped, Little Fork tract would be retained by the Forest Service, and it would be leased to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as a public game land.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks and state forests are within of Rendezvous Mountain State Park: :

Elk Knob State Park Elk Knob State Park is a North Carolina state park in Watauga County, North Carolina, in the United States. Opened in 2003, it is one of North Carolina's newest state parks. Elk Knob State Park was established to preserve the natural state of El ...

: Grandfather Mountain State Park : Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia : Mount Jefferson State Natural Area : New River State Park : Tuttle Educational State Forest :

Stone Mountain State Park Stone Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Alleghany County and Wilkes County, North Carolina. Stone Mountain The centerpiece of the park is Stone Mountain, a dome of exposed granite (specifically a quartz diorite to g ...

References

External links

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Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest
- Former state forest website {{Piedmont Triad North Carolina state forests Protected areas of the Appalachians Protected areas of Wilkes County, North Carolina Education in Wilkes County, North Carolina Open-air museums in North Carolina Former state parks of North Carolina 1926 establishments in North Carolina Protected areas established in 1926 State parks of North Carolina State parks of the Appalachians