Mountain Island Park Trail

The Mountain Island Park Trail is a 1.5 mile one-way, gravel, and natural surface trail winding through beautiful hardwood forests that offers spectacular views of the Catawba River.
Trail Uses
Walking / hiking / running Mountain biking
Location
Mount Holly (NC)
Length
2.00 miles, One Way
Difficulty
Moderate
Surface
Gravel/Crushed stone, Natural surface
Motorized Vehicles
Not Permitted
Fees
No
Pets
Permitted on leash
Parking Spaces
30+
Restrooms
No
Hours
Dawn - Dusk

Description

The Mountain Island Park Trail is a gravel and natural surface trail winding through beautiful hardwood forests that offers spectacular views of the Catawba River. The trailhead and gravel parking area is adjacent to the Riverbend Recycling & Transfer Center which offers access to this trail in addition to other trails managed by the City of Mount Holly. The natural surface and gravel trail is 1.5 miles long one-way. The first section of the trail from the trailhead is gravel and is hilly with some steep climbs and descents. Once you make it down to the trail section paralleling the Catawba River the surface is natural with a relatively level slope. Some short climbs and descents exist on this section as well.

The Mountain Island Park Trail is a part of Mount Holly's River Hawk Greenway system. The trail is planned to connect into River Street Park. This will allow users to access this area from downtown Mount Holly or visa versa. 

The Mountain Island Park Trail connects to over 7 miles of mountain bike single track trails managed by the local Tarheel Trailblazers mountain bike club. To learn more about these trails please visit: https://tarheeltrailblazers.com/trails/mountain-island-park/

Other Information

The Mountain Island Park Trail originally began below Mountain Island Dam. This area is currently closed. The information below was provided by the City of Mount Holly:

To facilitate maintenance work on Mountain Island Dam, Duke Energy, in collaboration with N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the City of Mount Holly, will temporarily close access to Mountain Island Park at Mount Holly starting on Sept. 7, 2022. The work should be completed by early 2026. 

“We will complete a maintenance project on the Mountain Island earth embankment dam to ensure the dam continues to meet all federal guidelines for dam safety,” said Brad Keaton, Duke Energy’s chief dam safety engineer. “The upgrades will also ensure that Mountain Island hydro station and Mountain Island Lake continue providing safe and reliable electricity, water supply and public recreation in the future.” 

Duke Energy owns the park but leases it to the City of Mount Holly to manage. In addition, the two fishing piers, managed by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, will close for the duration of the project.

“Both the City of Mount Holly and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are wonderful partners, and we will continue to work with them to establish alternative access to the trail system that runs south of Mountain Island Lake Park at Mount Holly,” said Duke Energy project manager, Jennifer Bennett. “We are hopeful that access will be available early next year.”

Duke Energy operates the Mountain Island Hydroelectric Development, which includes the powerhouse, dam, spillway and recreation facilities, under a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for the Catawba-Wateree Hydroelectric Project. Duke Energy Carolinas Duke Energy Carolinas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 20,100 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2.8 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 24,000-square-mile service area in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Trail Manager

Visit the City of Mount Holly online for more information or contact:

City of Mount Holly
400 E. Central Avenue
Mount Holly, NC 28120
704-827-3931
contactus@mthollync.us
View website

Featured Post

Mountain Creek, Park: New Park in Catawba County Built on Partnership
Mountain Creek, Park: New Park in Catawba County Built on Partnership
Along the shores of Lake Norman in Catawba County, N.C., the sounds of osprey, red-bellied woodpeckers and cicadas now mingle with the joyful squeals of children, friendly greetings from hikers and the whoosh of mountain bikes zipping by. Catawba County’s newest public park has been over 15 years in the making, and it is finally open.
> Read Post

Trail Tips

Save Your Skin
Use sunscreen and/or wear long light layers and a hat when out during the day.
Legend
Hide All
View Connector Trails
Catawba River Blueway - Lake Norman Section
Catawba River Blueway - Lake Wylie Dam to Landsford Canal State Park
Catawba River Blueway - Lake Wylie Section
Catawba River Blueway - Mountain Island Lake Section

Trailhead Information

Trailhead and parking area: 146 Mountain Island Rd, Mt Holly, NC 28120 MAP
*Located directly across the street from the Riverbend Recycling & Transfer Center

Click on an icon to get custom directions
Please Log In or Create Account to add comments.
January 24, 2024
Hi Chip! Yes, the trail is open, but there is a new access trail that you can use while the dam work is still ongoing. The trailhead and gravel parking area is adjacent to the Riverbend Recycling & Transfer Center. This access trail will take you down to the original trail.
mtnburg’n
January 18, 2024
It was closed the last time I tried to go. Had it reopened yet?
sigma_dom11
June 25, 2022
I enjoyed the advanced version of the trail that most mountain bikers use. I will go again in a few months.
Hang Tight!
Nearby services are loading
SHARE THIS TRAIL
PRINT THIS TRAIL

Add Trail Log

Please wait…
Join In on the Fun!
Log in or create an account below to unlock all the great features of Carolina Thread Trails: keep track of trails you want to do, preserve memories of trails you’ve done, and more!
Your log in attempt was not successful. Please try again.
    Lost your password? Reset your password
    Don't yet have an account?
    There was an issue with your submission. Please try again.
      * Indicates required field
      Already have an account? Login here
      Enter your username, and we will send you a new, randomly generated password to your email account.
      There was an issue with your submission. Please try again.

        Success! A new password has been emailed to you.

        Log in now

        Please wait…