McDowell Nature Preserve

My husband and I stayed here for a few days at the beginning of October. It's very quiet and peaceful. What I didn't like was they had no activities like most other camp sites. They do have hiking trials and fishing until 8pm. The staff was friendly and very helpful but they leave at 4pm and you can't check in till 3pm. I guess there's good and bad like with all places.

Campground is guarded by two gates and I saw the police patrol around a few times after hours. The spots are very close to each other but that didn’t bother me. I chose spot D16 which is the only camping spot with a bit of an uphill ramp from the car to the camp spot. The rest lie flat. Didn’t help that I have a tent that attaches to my car so it made that difficult.

Took my gf here to one of the walk-in sites for her first time camping. I love that it's so close to the city but still so beautiful! It did feel like everyone was very close together, but otherwise the facilities were great.

This was a very nice/quiet campground. The sites were spacious and private. The campground itself is very wooded with lots of trees for shade. Our site was also pretty level.

The campground is gated, and you are provided a code at check in. The park also has security and on site most of the time. The only negative is that the place to enter the gate code is on the opposite side from where you pull in, so you do have to get out of your vehicle to enter it each time.

The bathrooms and laundry were very clean during our visit. The playground was a nice addition for our toddler too!

We would definitely stay here again.

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My boyfriend and I used our Verizon hotspots to work and do Zoom meetings and didn’t have a problem. The showers/bathrooms are very clean.

One of our favorites, if not our favorite! We have a large, 10 person tent and it just fit on the tent pad. The electricity panel was a bit far from our tent so we couldn’t have electricity inside our tent as you’d need a cord that was at least 50 feet. I’ve seen other sites that have it much closer to your setup.

The bathrooms were great! Private to each person with a bathroom and shower. They are all unisex but there are about 8-10. They were kept clean. They also have a laundry facility there also.

Our site was extremely close to another, could have practically spat at them and hit them. That was one of the downers for us due to the battery dying alert going off all night and the snoring. That same night there was some sort of loud, thumping bass either off site or in the campground, not sure. Eventually it sounded like cops got involved and squashed it.

It was awesome having the ability to buy firewood, magic flame, and ice in an instant. The nearby lake is gorgeous but the lake is super rocky in areas for fishing. We didn’t catch anything even off the little dock. Target is super nearby for any other last minute needs.

We will be back!

Nice campground on the lake near charlotte. Nice facilities. Safety gates, seemed secure and quiet at night. Some of the rv sites were in quite a slope. Access to lots of good recreation in the nearby area. Would stay again.

Word on this place was it was a gang hang out. Not anymore. Security Gate(s)! Police presence. This campground is wonderfully maintained; lots of options for camping. Booked it awhile back for the Bon Temps kayak race on Lake Wylie.

They do a beautiful job in maintaining this campground. Very clean and affordable.

Loved our stay at McDowell and definitely would return. Some sites are built for smaller tents so pay attention when booking! The bathhouse was super clean and was made up of 8 private bathrooms with sink, toilet, and shower. The showers had no temperature control, but were luke warm.

Beautiful nature preserve with large 50+ site campground. Tent sites around $28. Within 6 miles of stores and amenities. Helpful camp hosts know which sites may be best for certain equipment.

Considering how close this is to the city, this is just a really excellent escape. The hiking trails are extremely well kept, the campsites are relatively private and everything here is very clean. This is a great place and right next to the lake.

Nice spot within the Nature preserve. Sites are close but not on top of each other. Paved but not necessarily level. The cleanest and most well designed bathrooms I’ve ever seen in a campground. Lots of great hiking trails throughout the preserve. Level boxed in pads for tenters in a separate area from RVs as well as sites that can be packed out to. On a visit during COVID it was open but limited. Set on the beautiful Lake Wylie, surrounded by marinas and large beautiful lakeside homes. Well designed for fishing, boating, gatherings and picnics. It feels so remote but is literally minutes from the full metropolis of Charlotte, NC. A must see for at least a day hike if you are in the area or camping if you have the chance.

Nice campground close to home!! We’ve stayed here twice now and had a great time both times. Small campground but so nice!

The park is close to our home and visit regularly. Several great trails. Great for kayaking.

Beautiful campground and clean facilities! The sites were nice and spacious. 

The lake is so pretty and we caught a huge catfish!

You can kind of hear the cars at night but it wasn’t too bad. Very friendly park rangers too. Would love to go back!

We stayed at Mcdowell Park Campground over a long weekend and really enjoyed it. The park is located southwest of Charlotte off of hwy 49 near Lake Wylie, SC. The hwy is busy and neighboring Lake Wylie is also busy. however, once you pull off the road and back into the nature preserve, all of the noise (except for airplanes) falls away. 

Our camp spot was level and plenty big enough to accommodate our 12x17 tent. We had our own power and shared water with the next campers. We were close to the bathhouse which was really clean. We loved the laid back atmosphere. We even had a couple of families in a group camping next to us and across from us. And while their kids were "active" it didn't affect our easy weekend. 

We were able to buy ice and firewood at the camp office. The staff were very nice and accommodating. 

Others mention that there is not much to do. In the campground, there is a playground and not much more. However, the overall Mcdowell nature preserve has plenty to do with Lake Wylie, playgrounds, nature trails, fishing, and more. You can be as busy or as chill as you choose.

We are headed back in March 2020 to kick off our camping season.

Very nice staff. We stayed a weekend. The RV spots were nice with easy access. The bathrooms and showers were AMAZINGLY clean! However, other than a playground there is nothing for kids to really do. The staff at the nature center were very polite and the trails were nice, but again not for tiny kids. If you were taking older kids it would be perfect.

Enjoy alot. No problem at all.

I camped here with a women’s hiking group and was impressed.

There are lovely trails, a large playground, nature center, the beautiful lake Wylie {no swimming, NC fishing license required}, geocaching, clean bathrooms and shower rooms, electric sites with large tent pads, good sized fire pit area, picnic table.. there’s even a loving gate with a code for a more secure camping experience..

We could fit 3 tents in one pad AND had a hammocker camper too.

If you are wanting some nature near the city, this is a good option - especially if you are checking out city things in Charlotte.

You can hear traffic at night when camping here so bring ear plugs, headphones or a white noise fan if that bothers you.

Pet friendly 🐾

I saw both dogs and camping kitties

There’s 56 camp sites: these include tent, RV hook ups and some primitive.

There’s group camping at Copperhead Island.

I highly recommend, especially for families with children, lots to do and a safe, secure feeling.

Nice little campground with good flat sites. Can hike to the river for fishing. Nice bath house.

Very nice County Pk. with many hiking trails and a lake area for fishing. Boating off site. No Frills. Electric & water site. Clean, private lockable bathroom/shower

We live about half hour or so from this campground and have wanted to check it out for some time. The sites are very well taken care of. We chose to camp on one of the hotter days of the year so the tree shade came in handy to help keep us cool. It stormed the second night we were there and we tried to make the best of the situation without having to pack up and just go home.

We have been to this park before for fishing in different areas and have really enjoyed ourselves. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The bathhouses for the most part are well maintained and cleaned.

I think my only complaint would be is the pads for the tens. When I got home I was patching holes in the floor of my tent from where the stone pad had caused damage. I know a seasoned camper would’ve put down a tarp but we didn’t have one and thought that we might be ok this trip with out one.

Had it not been for the monsoon rain storms we would’ve loved our trip but that is in the hands of Mother Nature no one else’s and that isn’t figured into my star rating. The reason I didn’t give it all fives is because of the stone pad that and you could hear traffic and air planes flying over.

This campground is just minutes from Charlotte, but secluded from the city noise. Nice open spaces with shade. No views to speak of but several short trails and nice areas around Lake Wylie. Clean facilities and secured gate with easy access after hours for paid campers. Spaces have offerings and picnic tables. RV and tent sites with water and electric.

Stayed at this campground to visit the Whitewater Center. Spots were tight. Read more of a review and photos on the link. https://imaginecamper.com/2018/01/29/mcdowell-nature-preserve-campground/

These people that run the office at the campground portion of the preserve are great folks. They help out when you need it and provide peace and quiet to the park. I loved staying there and will go back soon.

We basically lived here in a tent, for 2 weeks in 2013, while waiting to close on our house when moving to Charlotte. We loved the education center, the small walking trails and lakeside area. Staff were polite and helpful. Washrooms are incredible! Newly renovated at the time, and clean! The primitive sites were quite small, but close enough to the amenities. It’s a shame you can’t swim in the lake from the beach. Otherwise perfect.

It is hard to believe that you are in the city limits of Charlotte in this campground. It is very rustic, with lots of trees and nature, and the campsites are nicely spaced out so you're not on top of other units. The campground is not terribly big rig friendly but still worth staying at when you are in the Charlotte Metro area. We stayed here in a Class C motorhome.