Steele Creek & Whitewater

McDowell Nature Center and Preserve

1,132 acres of forested hills on the Lake Wylie shoreline — the county's oldest nature preserve, with a live-animal nature center, hiking trails, and a lakeside campground.

Opens Thursday
  • Park
  • Lake access
  • Fishing Access
DirectionsWebsite

Hours & practicals

Hours (fall)
Every day, NaN:NaNpm–NaN:NaNpm
Address
15222 York Rd, Charlotte, NC 28278
From your base
Sorts every list here by walk time.
On the trail
Preserve trails are open daily sunup to sundown; the nature center — live native animals, a discovery hall and gift shop — runs Mon–Sat 9–5 and Sun 1–5.

Lake Wylie, right now

95.76 ft pool stage at Lake Wylie Dam, read at 10:00 PM.

Its action stage — the lowest flood threshold — is 100 ft.

Duke Energy, which operates the dam, is targeting 97.5 today and reads 95.8 — 1.7 below target.

The Catawba–Wateree basin is in Stage 2of Duke's Low Inflow Protocol, its drought footing — which is why levels across the chain are below target and some access has closed.

Reservoir pool stage on the dam gauge's own datum — not the full-pond elevation boaters use, and not comparable with another lake's gauge. Gauge live from NOAA's National Water Prediction Service, operating level from Duke Energy.

The take

The oldest of the county's preserves, and the one where you can stay the night — the campground sits down by the water. Trails and shoreline are open daily, but the animal exhibits keep shorter hours and close part of the week, so plan around that if the center itself is your draw.

Questions people ask

When can I go in?

The preserve is open daily from sunup to sundown, separately from the nature centre building's own posted hours.

Check in

Your passport…

Sources

Similar nearby

The neighborhood

The 5 things this place connects to in the guide's map of the town — one step out, and nothing beyond it.

District

located in

Categories

serves

Places

competes with

See McDowell Nature Center and Preserve on the wiki, with every connection listedArriving in Steele Creek & Whitewater? The first-hour guide