Cali swimming at McDowell Waterfront Deck, Lake Wylie, NC

Another swimming spot, a short walk from the parking lot at McDowell Nature Preserve outside of Charlotte, NC and near the SC border. There's no fee to this park, lots of trails. Drive all the way to the end of the road from the entrance and you'll see Lake Wylie.

There's a boardwalk that goes to the right, no entrance to the water on the boardwalk, go towards the left and past the fishing pier. All dogs need to be on a leash but when I let Cali go in the water I removed the leash. The water was clear but I was told like other rivers and lakes, it gets murky after it rains. As always, Cali loves a good swim but I still gave her a bath after.

There's a nearby pet store called Pet Supplies Plus, it's on the SC side but still close enough to get to after the park and they have a self-serve dog wash stations, three of them, next to the grooming room in the back of the store. Only $5 if you pay for 5 washes upfront, which is a better deal than the machine stations in Jax Beach which have a time limit. I'll do a review of the PSP wash stations soon.