Download map of Upper McDowell Creek Greenway
Description: This will be the first developed section of McDowell Creek Greenway. The greenway will link several existing and new single and multi-family residential neighborhoods to great destinations including Birkdale Village and the proposed Robbins Park in Cornelius. The County is partnering with the Town of Cornelius on this project.
This mile and a half run of greenway in Cornelius and Huntersville extends from Westmoreland Road to Sam Furr Road. It offers a green oasis for town dwellers and excellent access to Robbins Park and Westmoreland Athletic Complex as well as significant retail, office and residential areas. This route is also part of the Carolina Thread Trail and the Lake Norman Bike Route.
Directions:
This greenway is located in Cornelius and Huntersville between Westmoreland Road and Sam Furr Road.
- Exit I-77 at Sam Furr Road
- Travel west 0.60 mile on Sam Furr Road to the entrance of Birkdale Village
- Turn right onto Lindholm Drive
- Turn right again at Townley Road
- Turn left onto Cranlyn Road
Parking:
16830 Cranlyn Road Charlotte, NC 28078
8925 Townley Road Charlotte, NC 28078
Click here for Google Maps
Length: Paved Greenway = 1.5 Miles
Nature Facts:
The old fields and wet meadows along the greenway support many flowering plants. When in bloom, these plants are visited by a variety of butterfly species. At the right time of year, you can see anywhere from one to dozen butterfly species on a leisurely greenway walk.
Several species of milkweed can be found along the greenway. These plants get their name from their milky sap, which can be toxic to many animals. Several types of insects feed upon this sap and store the toxins in their bodies which makes them distasteful to predators. Some of these insects, including the milkweed beetle, the milkweed bug and the monarch butterfly, wear nature’s warning colors for poison such as “orange and black” or “red and black”. Keep an eye out for them as you walk along the greenway.
The woodlands and open areas along the greenway support numerous species of birds, including several which have become uncommon in Mecklenburg County in recent years. Field sparrows which can be seen and heard in grassy and weedy fields and clearings, and Kentucky warblers can be found in rich woodlands along McDowell Creek.
Low lying depressions along the greenway hold water for much of the year and become breeding locations for several amphibian species including fowler’s toads and upland chorus frogs. Listen for the various calls of these and other frog species in late winter and early to mid spring.
For more information: please contact Gwen Cook, Greenway Planner at 980-314-1036 or email us at Park-Admin@mecklenburgcountync.gov