Hiking at the US National White Water Center
If you are a regular reader, you might remember me saying my mother and I were setting out to do a new hike once each month for 2018. So far, we've accomplished it...technically.
I did have a stress fracture of my tibia in February - March and I am still babying it so our hikes haven't been too extreme or exciting. Our March hike was a short trail in nearby Huntersville at Latta Plantation. It didn't excite me too much.
Slightly working our way up, our April hike was the South Main Trail at the US National White Water Center in Charlotte, NC.
If you're not familiar with the White Water Center, they have so many activities for the adrenaline junkie: rafting, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, ropes courses, zip lines, trails and more. The trails are for mountain biking, hiking and trail running.
There is a $6 fee for parking. After paying the fee, we drove down to the Adventure pavilion which has a restroom and is close to the trail head for the South Main trail. It dips down to the right off of the gravel path. Shortly after the trail head, it veers to the left and has clear signage. The trail is 2.5 miles but can be made longer if you choose to do loops off the side. I think it was closer to 3 miles after walking back to the car as the trail ends at a different end of the parking lot.
There are a few man-made obstacles on the trail including a rope across water, a rope ladder type obstacle and monkey bars. These are totally optional but we did them just for fun! My favorite was the rope across water! Other than the obstacles, the trail is pretty easy and flat. The mountain bikers were courteous and there was hardly anyone else hiking.
Overall, I probably wouldn't do this again unless I was going to the White Water Center for another activity. It was a decent trail and the obstacles add a bit of entertainment but it felt too manufactured for my liking - you walk under power lines a bit and can see/hear major highways at points. I prefer to be in the mountains and feeling more secluded, however, this is a nice option for when you don't have time to travel to the mountain or if you are going to utilize other activities they offer.
Would you have done the obstacles? Let me know!
I did have a stress fracture of my tibia in February - March and I am still babying it so our hikes haven't been too extreme or exciting. Our March hike was a short trail in nearby Huntersville at Latta Plantation. It didn't excite me too much.
Slightly working our way up, our April hike was the South Main Trail at the US National White Water Center in Charlotte, NC.
If you're not familiar with the White Water Center, they have so many activities for the adrenaline junkie: rafting, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, ropes courses, zip lines, trails and more. The trails are for mountain biking, hiking and trail running.
There is a $6 fee for parking. After paying the fee, we drove down to the Adventure pavilion which has a restroom and is close to the trail head for the South Main trail. It dips down to the right off of the gravel path. Shortly after the trail head, it veers to the left and has clear signage. The trail is 2.5 miles but can be made longer if you choose to do loops off the side. I think it was closer to 3 miles after walking back to the car as the trail ends at a different end of the parking lot.
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| Obstacle Number 1 |
Overall, I probably wouldn't do this again unless I was going to the White Water Center for another activity. It was a decent trail and the obstacles add a bit of entertainment but it felt too manufactured for my liking - you walk under power lines a bit and can see/hear major highways at points. I prefer to be in the mountains and feeling more secluded, however, this is a nice option for when you don't have time to travel to the mountain or if you are going to utilize other activities they offer.
Would you have done the obstacles? Let me know!
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| That post-hike glow! |
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