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| - This is a review of the campground at McDowell Nature Preserve.
This place claims to be the "great urban escape." While it's not exactly an escape, it certainly makes for a quick weekend getaway when you don't want to (or can't) trek it up to the mountains. Granted, this place can't hold a candle to anything in the Blue Ridge, but to quench that thirst for a one night campout, McDowell will do in a pinch.
Pros:
-It's close. You can get here from uptown in half an hour, and you don't have to take a bunch of poorly-marked or unimproved roads to find the place.
-It's close to stuff. Need groceries, camping equipment, or have an emergency? There's a Teeter, Gander Mtn, and Super Target almost within a stone's throw.
-The bath house is one of the nicest I've seen at a campground. Instead of a men's/women's setup, there are about 8 or 9 individual unisex lavatories, each with a toilet, sink, mirror (!), actual soap and a legit hand dryer (!!), and a hot shower. Nothing is better than stepping out of the shower and not having to awkwardly and unsuccessfully cover yourself up with a towel because other people are standing around. Granted, the bathrooms aren't the cleanest ones I've ever seen, but they had the best facilities.
-There are water spigots all over the campground, which is very convenient. That's not usually the case.
Cons:
-It's close. I love everybody, but there are some people who just shouldn't be allowed to go camping. Because this place is close to the city and accessible, it draws a few of the, well, er, amateurs. Quite a bunch of RVs, and people pulling up in fancy cars, are just two of the things that mar the overall ambience of the "get away from it all" camping experience.
-The sites aren't very private. We are here in the summer, when the trees are full of leaves, and we can see our neighbors very clearly. I can't imagine what it's like when there are no leaves.
-The entire park is underneath a flight path for CLT airport. Prepare for lots of airplane traffic noise; earplugs at night are recommended.
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