ガストン郡周辺の簡単なハイキングとウォーキング

Great view

Cool place to hang with a drink and enjoy the sunshine.

Nice view

The Rocky Branch Trail is a 1.25 mile trail that connects the towns of Belmont and Cramerton, North Carolina and is for primarily mountain bikers and hikers. Several single-track mountain bike trails extend off of this pleasant, shaded trail, so be aware and share the trails.

The Mountain Island Lake trailhead is located near Mountain Island Lake Dam. At the trailhead, there is parking, access to the hiking trail, a playground, and a dam viewing spot. There are also various fishing areas, with a designated handicap fishing site. The Mountain Island Trail is nice and shaded by mature trees, which makes it a great outing in the spring and summer months. Enjoy crossing several foot bridges and a canoe launch as you make your way to the trail's endpoint, which ends a small loop by an informational sign.

South Fork Trail, or The Pharr Yarns Family Trail, is a 2.4-mile mixed gravel and concrete pathway connecting McAdenville and Lowell, North Carolina and runs alongside the scenic South Fork of the Catawba River. This area holds historical significance as it was used by Native Americans and later by settlers for textile mills, the remains of which you can see along the trail (Ferguson Mill and the Pinhook Mill). The Pinhook Mill, named after the mill workers who used bent textile pins to fish for lunch, narrowly escaped destruction during the Civil War when Union soldiers burned a nearby bridge instead; you can still see the stone pillars of the bridge today. South Fork Trail is also part of the Butterfly Highway initiative, supporting native pollinator habitats in North Carolina. While the trail offers a flat terrain for hiking and biking, caution is advised after heavy rainfall due to potential flooding.

Crowders Mountain is one of two peaks that comprise Crowders Mountain State Park and is the slightly shorter of the two, standing at 1,625 ft. Despite this, the summit is actually a little more challenging to reach than The Pinnacle. From the top of Crowders Mountain you get great views through the trees across the county and of Charlotte about 30 miles away. The cliffs of Crowders Mountain are popular rock climbing spots so theres also a good chance that you might see climbers on your way up to the top.

Nice view from the top. Even you can see uptown Charlotte. Relatively difficult compared to Pinnacle loop