Sneak peek: The new — and free — Lake Norman park opening this weekend
A 606-acre nature park opens Saturday on the northwestern tip of Lake Norman, less than an hour’s drive from Charlotte.
The $8.5-million Mountain Creek Park in Sherrills Ford accommodates everything from biking, hiking and bird-watching to picnicking, paddling and pickleball courts.
“It’s available for everyone,” Chris Timberlake, director of Catawba County Planning & Parks, told The Charlotte Observer during a tour this month. The park is located off off N.C. 150 and Little Mountain Road, about 34 miles northwest of Charlotte via N.C. 16.
Mountain Creek Park’s 18.7 miles of natural hiking and biking trails are expected to draw enthusiasts from Charlotte and as far away as Asheville and Boone, Timberlake said.
The park’s many other amenities are expected to attract the non-biking types as well, including those who want to launch a kayak or a canoe, fish from a pier, or play on the huge playground that serves as the park’s centerpiece, he said.
Want to just hang a hammock between trees and read a book? It’s for you, too, Timberlake said.
County officials envisioned a park that would offer the passive recreation found in North Carolina state parks, according to Timberlake.
“It’s just a respite from the business of society,” he said.
When the county held public forums on what people wanted to see in the park, residents suggested mountain biking and hiking trails, a dog park, adventure playground and other amenities, Timberlake said.
Admission to the park will be free, officials said. Fees will apply only to dog park users and to reserve a picnic shelter and a park education center.
Here’s what you can explore at the park:
Adventure playground
A huge, ADA-accessible adventure playground built by Beanstalk Builders of Morganton includes climbing walls, towers, ropes, slides and cargo-net tunnels.
Bird-watching
Bird watchers and wildlife lovers also will enjoy the park, Mountain Creek Park Superintendent Lori Owenby said.
A pair of bald eagles lives there, she said, and 30 Great Blue Heron nests have been counted in the park, along with seven osprey, she said.
Longnose gar ply the waters off the park’s fishing pier, Owenby said.
And nearby residents have reported seeing bears in the past, Timberlake added.
Chipmunks and beavers live in the park. White-tailed deer emerge each morning, while red-tailed hawks look for prey at all hours of the day, park rangers said.
A harmless black snake slithered across a mountain biking trail during the Observer’s tour, and an osprey dive-bombed for fish off the fishing pier. Non-venomous banded water snakes also populate the waters off the pier, Timberlake said.
Outdoor classroom
School groups and others will learn about the park’s flora and fauna in an outdoor classroom, including what mushrooms and plants are safe to eat, Owenby said.
Timberlake spotted edible blackberries off tree-canopied mountain biking trails during the Observer’s tour. Edible red bud flower blooms and fiddlehead ferns also grow on the property, Owenby said.
Dog park
A dog park includes separate areas for small and large dogs.
Passes are required for each dog using the dog park with proof of vaccinations and a $20 fee per dog.
Passes will be available at the park office on June 18. Dog park applications and information are available at www.catawbacountync.gov on the County Services/Parks page.
Trails
The park includes 19.52 total trail miles, including the 18.7 miles of natural surface hiking and biking trails and a 0.82-mile paved, ADA-accessible trail that winds 90 to 100 feet down to the lake.
Elevated Trail Design of Weaverville designed and built the trails, which vary from “easy” to “intermediate” to “most challenging.”
Much of the trail network also accommodates hikers, runners and bird watchers.
Various smaller segments along the multi-use trails are for mountain biking only, Elevated Trail Design owner Peter Mills previously told the Observer.
A 1.2-acre mountain bike park includes two pump tracks — one is for younger, smaller riders — and a bike tool station.
A 100- to 105-foot-long steel and wood bridge with fiberglass ramps connects the park’s southern and northern trail sections.
Pickleball courts, picnic shelters
Other amenities include four pickleball courts, a paddle launch, fishing pier and three picnic shelters.
One shelter is beside a mountain biking pump track. Another shelter flanks the adventure playground near the park entrance off Little Mountain Road. The third and largest shelter lies at the end of Stormie Normie, a mountain biking trail named for a legendary Lake Norman sea creature.
Several other picnic tables are scattered around the playground and the paved ADA-accessible trail.
Shelter reservations are $20 per hour, with a 2-hour minimum. Rental of the education/meeting facility is $100 for a half day and $150 for a full day.
How the park came to be
Planning began in the mid-2000s, when Duke Energy applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for relicensing of its Catawba-Wateree hydropower system, Catawba County officials said.
As part of its application, Duke Energy said it would financially support Catawba County buying a 600-acre tract along Lake Norman for a passive recreation park, county officials said.
After the county also collaborated with the Catawba Lands Conservancy and developer Crescent Resources LLC, the North Carolina Land and Water Fund awarded a $2.1 million grant to the county in 2008 to buy the property.
Most of the park’s acreage is protected by conservation easements, Timberlake said.
How the park compares to others
Mountain Creek is the fourth park in the Catawba County Park System, joining Bakers Mountain Park in Hickory, Riverbend Park in Conover and St. Stephens Park in Hickory. The new park is the county’s second-largest after 690-acre Riverbend.
By comparison, Mecklenburg County’s Jetton Park on Lake Norman in Cornelius totals 104 acres and its McDowell Nature Center and Preserve on Lake Wylie encompasses about 1,100 acres.
June 18 grand opening
Admission to the June 18 grand opening is free. Events include: bird walks, garden tours, guided hikes and a pump track demonstration, plus games and crafts for kids.
Food trucks will be available, and opening-day activities also will include a scavenger hunt with prizes; a park expo; selfie station; bouncy house; face painting and balloons.
Park hours, contact info
Gates in summer will open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Four Catawba County rangers are assigned to the park, with two on duty whenever the park is open.
The park will stay open every day except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day.
Address: 6554 Little Mountain Road, Sherrills Ford, NC 28673.
Phone number: 828-465-9645
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 5:30 AM.