Here are 4 outdoor getaways within 1 hour of the Queen City [Partner]
If you’re looking to plan your fall daycation before it gets too cold, look no further than your own city. There are plenty of Queen City-centric locations where you can get re-aquainted with fresh air and exercise, and they’re less than an hour away.
Crowder’s Mountain State Park. If you’ve lived in Charlotte long enough, you probably have a photo of yourself or you’ve seen your friends smiling after a climb. Maybe it’s been awhile or you’d like to go up there again with your friends. Either way, you can always add to your collection of local mountain selfies.
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Travel time from Center City: 41 minutes. 522 Park Office Lane, Kings Mountain, NC 28086.
Latta Plantation Nature Center. Go to the Nature Center and have a sandwich and fruit salad in the picnic center. The Center encourages visitors to ride their bikes to the different facilities, so you’ll have a hoot (see what we did there?) cycling from the Carolina Raptor Center and Historic Latta Plantation.
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Travel time from Center City: 21 minutes. 6211 Sample Road, Huntersville, NC 28078.
Freedom Park. Grab your running shoes or your beach-chair-turned-autumn-chair. With the trails and plenty of shade and sun, you’ll find your stride. Walk over to the bandshell to admire the 7-acre lake and feed the ducks the Wonder Bread you shouldn’t be eating by yourself. Then go for a two-mile run on one of the trails. If you’re hungry, there are plenty of restaurants in nearby SouthEnd to replenish your electrolytes — and appetite.
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Travel time from Center City: 9 minutes. 1900 East Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28202.
McDowell Nature Preserve. There are eight miles of hiking trails. Eight. Miles. Two fo the trails include Kingfisher (0.9 miles at the moderate level) and Little Meadow Trail (0.1 miles at the easy level) and are marked with color symbols so you know where you’re going. Bring your pooch or the kids too. There are even shelters if you want to rough it overnight in the woods. Make a reservation for your place at the McDowell Campground, Copperhead Island, or the Red Fox Medium Shelter.
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Travel time from Center City: 15222 York Road, Charlotte, NC 28278.
As with any trip, you’ll want to bring a snack. Eat The Bear products (isolate proteins, BCAAs, pre-workouts, etc.) are packed with all of the nutrients you’ll need to tackle and recover from any trail. They also feature recipes on their site that transform your protein needs into delicious treats. Pumpkin Spice Protein Cake anyone? Learn more here.
This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 2:38 PM.