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| - McDowell Park has nine reasonably challenging trails through the wooded shore of the Lake Wylie nature preserve. That's what I come for, anyway. They also have fishing docks, camp grounds, and a children's playground, but my experience is with the trails.
They are not easy trails. They are rough, steep, and occasionally washed out. A two mile hike here takes about as long as 4-5 miles on the Greenway. But at the same time, you will be hiking a collection of short bursts and often crisscrossing the paved roads, so you can bail out at any time. Most of the routes follow sections of Lake Wylie's winding shore, which makes for interesting views over the main water and across its many inlets.
Once you are on them, the trails are great. Trouble is, they aren't easy to find. I spent 20 minutes trying to find one this morning, and it's not even my first time out here. Eventually I found a different trail than I had intended, but decided it was better than wandering around for another 20 minutes. Even then, when I had found the trail, I managed to lose it twice. They have set up helpful markers on the trees through every obvious segment of the trail, but whenever the route becomes confusing the markers disappear. It is almost amusing. For instance, they'll have a half dozen markers directing you over a wooden bridge (you probably could have guessed that the bridge was part of the trail...) but five minutes later find yourself at an unmarked fork. If they fixed the signs the trails would improve tremendously.
Many of the hikes also have problems with water runoff. The drought of recent years has disguised the problem, but if you try to hike a few days after a rainfall you are going to find some very muddy sections. That will really break your rhythm.
All in all, I'm glad that Charlotte has a place like this, but a few easy improvements are in order.
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