&lt;a href=&#039;http://www.hellocharlotte.com/commons/pages/articles/McDowell_Nature_Preserve_1115-acres_on_the_banks_of_Lake_Wylie/222141/&#039;&gt;&lt;img src=&#039;/media/articles/small/9107_image_108159_small.jpg&#039; border=&#039;0&#039; style=&#039;float:left; padding:3px;&#039; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;McDowell Nature Preserve is a 1,115-acre piece of land on the banks of Lake Wylie owned and maintained by the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Parks and Recreation Department. More than 90 percent of the land at the McDowell Nature Preserve has been left undeveloped in order to protect the mostly forested terrain.