For weeks the weather has been lousy, the sun came out and the weather warmed up. A picnic was in order. My daughter-in-law said she knew a place. We loaded up in her car and drove 4 miles west of Charlotte ,NC on highway 49. The preserve was a quiet refuge from busy Charlotte and still in the city limits.... More

I lived in Charlotte 14 yrs. and have never visited.. But when I did I regreted not doing it sooner. They have a butterfly habitat which you can walk through and see them up close.. The had an area of recused animals I love the Owls.. but they also have snakes, skunks etc.. Once we went through we finshed our... More

Took the grand kids fishing and ended up at the park cause nobody wanted us fishing from their docks. Ain't that the whole point of a lake. You suppose to fish in it. We rented boats and had a good time fishing and boating at the park.

Nice place to bring the family for a day at the lake. Boat ramps, fishing docks, hiking trails, family fun for everyone. Make sure you bring your fishing license.

The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The campsites are quite large and can accommodate the larger new tents with ease. The bathhouse was very clean and very private. My only gripe was that all of the sites were covered with gravel. This is not a problem if you sleep on a cot or air mattress but we were not... More

This was a beautiful place to hike and spend the day. A very pretty lake to hike to on one of the trails. Nice picnic area too.

I love this place! I've been hiking there for the past 8 years during all seasons of the year, even in the snow. I've also been tent camping there. The trails are well marked with a color tag on trees and a wooden sign marks the direction of trails at intersections. There are large trail maps scattered throughout the preserve... More

My family lives about 5 miles from McDowell, so it is very convenient for us, yet we do not go often. They have several trails, but I find them hard to follow. They could be marked in a more obvious way. The paths that run along Lake Wylie are the nicest. There are nice places for a family picnic on... More

love walking the trails there. the center itself gave alot of educational info. love it! highly recommend this place.