McDowell Nature Preserve
McDowell Nature Preserve is a nature reserve in North Carolina, at a modelled elevation of 183 m. Kings Pinnacle stands 520 m to the west-northwest, 18 miles off. The nearest named place is Copperhead Island, a park 0.3 miles away. Crowders Mountain Drive passes 16 miles off. 18 named summits stand within 25 miles.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Mecklenburg County Park & Rec
How to reach it
- 16.4 mi off the Crowders Mountain Drive
Named places within 25 miles
- Copperhead Island: 0.3 mi
- Hoover Creek Greenway: 1.9 mi
- Oakton: 2.0 mi
- Walker Branch Greenway: 2.2 mi
- Thomas M. Winget Regional Park: 2.3 mi
- Canopy: 4.7 mi
- Levitation: 5.2 mi
- Flash: 5.2 mi
- Thánh Giuse: 5.6 mi
- Maersk Anchor: 6.2 mi
- Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church: 0.8 mi
- Knights Stadium: 5.3 mi
- Crash Site of Eastern Flight 212: 6.3 mi
- Jane Parks McDowell Marker: 6.7 mi
- Veterans Monument: 8.0 mi
- Tidal Wave Bay: 4.2 mi
- Storm Surge: 4.2 mi
- Hurricane Falls: 4.2 mi
- Surf Club Harbor: 4.3 mi
- Murtle Turtle Beach: 4.3 mi
- Museum of York County: 7.0 mi
- Fort Mill History Museum: 8.0 mi
- Millican Pictorial History Museum: 9.6 mi
- The James C. Dowd House: 11.4 mi
- Charlotte Museum of Nature: 11.5 mi
- Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden: 4.7 mi
- Avondale Giving Community Garden: 11.3 mi
- Wing Haven: 11.3 mi
- Wilmore Community Garden: 11.5 mi
- Courtyard: 12.2 mi
- Thomas M. Winget Nature Preserve: 1.9 mi
- Whitehall Nature Preserve: 5.1 mi
- Berryhill Nature Preserve: 8.1 mi
- Anne Springs Close Greenway: 8.2 mi
- Iswa Nature Preserve: 9.3 mi
- Barnett Mountain: 4.7 mi
- Nanny Mountain: 5.2 mi
- Berry Mountain: 9.1 mi
- Jackson Knob: 11.0 mi
- Spencer Mountain: 14.2 mi
- Long Creek Falls: 18.3 mi
- Little Long Creek Falls: 19.3 mi
- High Shoals: 22.5 mi
- Sailing Beach: 1.5 mi
- South Point Beach: 3.5 mi
- South Carolina Welcome Center: 4.7 mi
- North Carolina Welcome Center: 6.0 mi
- Carowinds Grove: 4.6 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of McDowell Nature Preserve. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Pinnacle | WNW 293° | 520 m | 17.9 mi |
| Crowders Mountain | WNW 301° | 458 m | 16.9 mi |
| Spencer Mountain | NNW 338° | 375 m | 14.2 mi |
| Henry Knob | W 277° | 344 m | 14.4 mi |
| Jackson Knob | NW 309° | 328 m | 11.0 mi |
| Reese Mountain | NNW 347° | 325 m | 22.8 mi |
| Browns Mountain | W 275° | 315 m | 21.8 mi |
| Joes Mountain | W 276° | 312 m | 21.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:29 | 19:03 | 19:36 |
| June solstice | 06:11 | 20:05 | 20:42 |
| September equinox | 07:13 | 18:49 | 19:23 |
| December solstice | 07:29 | 16:37 | 17:17 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Nov.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 42 | 45 | 52 | 61 | 69 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 61 | 51 | 44 |
| Precip in | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Rock Hill York CO AP, 9 mi away.
- little heartleaf57 obs
- bloodroot47 obs
- rue anemone42 obs
- Fowler's Toad38 obs
- Green Anole37 obs
- Little Brown Jugs37 obs
- striped wintergreen36 obs
- round-lobed hepatica35 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/38619537
Day trips start here
- Charlotte/Dilworth · 12 mi
- Charlotte/South End · 12 mi
- Charlotte · 13 mi
- Charlotte/Cotswold · 13 mi
- Charlotte Metro · 13 mi
- Charlotte/Myers Park · 13 mi
Take the scenic way to McDowell Nature Preserve.
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