Cowpens National Battlefield
South Carolina
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
7.1 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Sep 7 – Sep 7; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Oct 12 – Oct 12; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Jan 18 – Jan 18; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Feb 15 – Feb 15
Entrance
Free entry
Hazardous Conditions on Trails
Visitors should exercise caution when hiking areas of the park that have opened since Hurricane Helene. Hazards on trails and in forested areas such as hanging tree limbs, debris on the ground, and washed-out sections of trails and bridges are possible.
A pasturing area at the time of the battle, this Revolutionary War site commemorates the place where Daniel Morgan and his army turned the flanks of Banastre Tarleton's British army. This classic military tactic, known as a double envelopment, secured a patriot victory.
Activities
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
The visitor center parking lot is open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. The front gate closes at 5:00 pm. Loop Road closes at 4:30 pm. After hours parking is located 1 mile east at the intersection of Hwy 11 and Hayes Road and is open dawn to dusk. Visitor Center is open Wed - Sunday 9 - 5.
⚠ Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Sep 7 – Sep 7; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Oct 12 – Oct 12; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Jan 1 – Jan 1; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Jan 18 – Jan 18; Restrooms, Picnic Area, and Auto Loop Road: closed Feb 15 – Feb 15
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 8644612828
✉ COWP_information@nps.govConditions
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 80°F
🌦️ 86°/68°
🌦️ 85°/69°
🌦️ 94°/70°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
100%
Feb
75%
Mar
91%
Apr
90%
May
93%
Jun
89%
Jul
88%
Aug
86%
Sep
72%
Oct
62%
Nov
58%
Dec
61%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Become a Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Junior Ranger · <p>The number of actvities that need to be completed are based on the individuals age. If the booklet is being completed at home it should be able to be completed in less than a day. If the individual is traveling to each site it could like upto a handful of days to complete. </p>
OVVI Junior Ranger
Green River Road on the OVNHT · 1.8 mi · The 1.8 mile trail features interpretive signs describing the American Revolutionary War history of the site as well as later features such as a restored 1820s log cabin. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
Cowpens Bicycling
Cowpens Junior Ranger Program
Horseback Riding at Cowpens National Battlefield
Cowpens Nature Trail · 2 mi
Visitor centers
Cowpens National Battlefield
Accessibility
9 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Parking
Trailhead Parking Lot
Visitor Center Parking Lot
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Cowpens National Battlefield — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Cowpens National Battlefield — each spans a cross-park journey.
Andrew Pickens
— Military, French And Indian War, Politicians Government OfficialsBanastre Tarleton
— American Revolution, American Revolution In The South, Great BritainWilliam Washington
— American Revolution, American Revolution In The South, MilitaryPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Cowpens National Battlefield
Places to see
After Victory
Auto-loop Stop 3
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 1 Prelude to Victory
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 10: Form the Line of Battle
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 11: Skirmishers Retreat, British Advance
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 12: A Race for the Grasshopper
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 13: Colonel Howard's Misunderstood Order
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 14: Double Envelopment
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 15: Washington Light Infantry Monument
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 16: Race to the Dan River
audio
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 2: Morgan's Flying Army
audio
Cowpens Audio Tour Stop 3: Spirit Up the People
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Recipients of the 2015 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards
Discover the schedule of events for the 242nd Anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens!
Plan your visit to the anniversary event!
Read about the history of the Verbruggen 3-lb Gun and Its Use in North American 1775 - 1783.
Learn about Alexander Chesney, a commanding officer for a Loyalist militia unit at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781.
Andrew Pickens
Discover the Bark Ranger program at Cowpens National Battlefield!
The Battle of Cowpens
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
#Hashtag it out!!!!
Open →
Battle of Cowpens – Reader’s Theater Script for Classroom
Open →
Boy, What a Day! January 17, 1781
Open →
Celebrate Good Times: Holiday Makeovers
Open →
Come on out to the Cow Pens!
Open →
Escape the Battlefield, Win the War!
Open →
Events That Led up to the Revolutionary War
Open →
Five Senses. Five People.
Open →
Graphing the Wounded - Wrapping it all up
Open →
Herbs and Medicinals in the Backcountry
Open →
Introduction to Cowpens National Battlefield
Open →
I’ll take Cowpens for $100.00, Alex
Open →
How Cowpens National Battlefield connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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