At 200 acres, Bakers Mountain isn’t big. But it is a great example of a foothills forest. From its 1,780-foot summit, the highest point in Catawba County, a chestnut oak forest spreads below, with the occasional open meadow and a boulder outcrop. The landscape offers a mix of Piedmont and mountain, with mountain laurel, rhododendron Table Mountain and pitch pine, Boynton’s Locust, Shiny-leaf Meadowsweet and Heartleaf Wild Ginger. An extensive trail network gives hikers good exposure to the park.