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McDowell Nature Center and Preserve

135 Reviews

#17 of 189 things to do in Charlotte

Features Animals

Nature & Wildlife Areas, Nature & Parks

15222 York Rd, Charlotte, NC 28278-5827

+1 704-583-1284

Website

Review Highlights

“Clean, attractive hiking trails, with a small nature center”

We enjoyed visiting the Nature Center and hiking trails. They allow a dog on a leash so we brought... read more

Reviewed 6 days ago

pobtm

Centralia, Pennsylvania

“A true oasis”

We camped here for 2 nights ...wish it were longer! No noisy car and truck sounds, hard to believe... read more

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Andymarian

East Northport, New York

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Overview

4.5

135 reviews

Excellent64%
Very good29%
Average5%
Poor1%
Terrible1%

Travellers talk about

“lake wylie” (28 reviews)

“city limits” (4 reviews)

“kayak launch” (2 reviews)

LOCATION

15222 York Rd, Charlotte, NC 28278-5827

CONTACT

Website

+1 704-583-1284

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1 - 10 of 131 reviews

pobtm

Centralia, Pennsylvania

9835

Reviewed 6 days ago

Clean, attractive hiking trails, with a small nature center

We enjoyed visiting the Nature Center and hiking trails. They allow a dog on a leash so we brought our dog with us. The Nature Center is a small building with a few wildlife exhibits inside featuring small local wildlife. Lots of maps, brochures, and...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Andymarian

East Northport, New York

3124

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

A true oasis

We camped here for 2 nights ...wish it were longer! No noisy car and truck sounds, hard to believe in such a busy area...the sights aren’t huge but for 33$ a night who cares. We spend a few sacred hours hiking the trails around the...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Alicia I

Charlotte, North Carolina

153

Reviewed 5 March 2018

Beautiful Park on Lake Wylie

The park had endless trails for all types of hikes. I've spent anywhere from 4 hours to 30 minutes walking on the trails. Very well maintained and bathrooms are everywhere for comfort. The breeze from the lake makes for a very comfortable hike! I wish...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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HJPinBeds

Stotfold, United Kingdom

377143

Reviewed 3 January 2018

Winter walk in the sunshine

Wanting to benefit from the sunshine after Christmas and New Year we visited the park, which is free. The woodlands looked superb, letting the sun through bare branches. Trails are clearly marked and there is a map available. Inside the Information centre you can see...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

bj2kb

Frederick, MD

5620

Reviewed 24 October 2017

Very nice hiking with choice of trails; Nature Center & Camping available

McDowell is a really nice park not far from Charlotte. It has quite a few trails, but not all are well-marked. We started at the nature center. The park staff were very helpful about choosing the trails. We stopped at the camping area and were...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Adriana R

Charlotte, North Carolina

261

Reviewed 10 July 2017

Nice spot

I like anything that by the water...paths are nice to walk, have good spots for barbecues...not good for fishing as per signs!!

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Jack H

Reviewed 7 July 2017 via mobile

Awesome!!

Great walking trails through woods and along the lake. Hilly but not too strenuous. Plenty of geocaching "treasures" if you are into that sort of thing... much fun

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

637miriamp

7616

Reviewed 6 July 2017

jewel

This place is a great place to go for hikes, picnic, barbecue, walks around the lake. Fishing is nice too....

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Lori Y

Cicero, New York

Reviewed 2 July 2017

Stayed in RV part of park

Have stayed here in our RV several times. Brenda & staff very friendly & accommodating. Nice bath houses & large sites make this a 10+.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

colebee725

Charlotte, North Carolina

152

Reviewed 16 June 2017

AWESOME!

My kids love the Park and Nature Center. They have small displays with snakes and such inside and lots of information on the animals. The park out front of the nature center is perfect for kids of all ages. The nature trails are pretty good...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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