A small forested, rocky, unamed creek drains the land west of Shuffletown near Harwood Lakes and flows to the Catawba River. The western border of this area winds along the shore of Mountain Island Lake from Highway 16, along the Catawba River to the Cowan's Ford Dam. This region contains some of the largest tracts of undisturbed land in Mecklenburg County and includes the Gar and McDowell Creek confluences to Mountain Island Lake, Cowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge and Duck Cove. The area between Highway 16 and the Gar Creek cove is largely forested with few residential areas. The shore of Mountain Island Lake is largely undeveloped and forested.
Slopes range from steep to gentle.
Latta Plantation Nature Preserve is north of Gar Creek and is an excellent wildlife habitat. A large tract of undisturbed land is located south of the Beatties Ford Memorial Gardens and north of Gar Creek. This area is mostly forested and contains a Piedmont Prairie restoration site. Except for a few homes along McDowell Creek, the entire shore of Mountain Island Lake from Cowan's Ford Wildlife Refuge, east to the large oxbow is undeveloped. A large undeveloped peninsula west of McDowell Creek provides both excellent mixed forest and shoreline habitats.