Landsford Canal State Park

Absolutely beautiful park. We were there for the Spider Lily festival. Did not disappoint. All the trails are spacious enough for stroller and dog, aren't too strenuous to hike, and offer views of the lush forest, the Catawba river, and of course all the historical landmarks. Wonderful place for families, animals, and adventurers alike!

We love this park. It has easy and accessible hiking trails. Interesting sights, including the eagle's nest, spider lilies in the spring, the historical canal, and the Catawba River. There's a place to put in for kayaking and cannooing. It has a playground, clean restrooms, picnic tables, and a picnic shelter. If river conditions are good, you can bring your water shoes and play in the river. Landsford is a beautiful park, rich with history and nature. A must-see any time of year.

Great park. We went to kayak through the spider lilies at their peak, and the experience almost couldn’t have been better. Great lots, kayak drops, restrooms. Short float down the river, slightly more rapids and shoals than we expected. There is a cut made for the take out at the end, and it left a lot to be desired. The shallowest part of the entire river and the actual take out is poorly marked and poorly accessible. We just dropped at the top, floated, and hiked the nice 1.25 mi trail back to the truck. Very interesting history and Canal architecture on the way back. Other than that, I wish we would’ve brought something to grill because of the multiple great picnic and grill setups along the river. Nice experience and well worth visiting.

I visited this park with my 80+ year old mom for their annual Lily Fest which they offer each May. We enjoyed a pleasant walk along the canal to see the lillies and then got to enjoy the festival offerings--arts & hand made crafts for sale, food vendors, and live music. The park itself offers several different easy trail walks. The ground is very level with little to no elevation change or trail encumbrances like rocks/tree roots, although it can get a bit muddy if there's been rain. There is a little deck with benches for looking out at the water and taking in the plentiful lillies that bloom each year from mid May to June. It's also a great photo op spot. There are also historical remnants of old buildings and landmarks from colonial times along the trail for those looking for a bit of an educational background. This park is a good option for those wanting to be outdoors without having to do a strenuous hike.

The Catawba river trail system keeps getting better. If you are looking for a beautiful easy walking trail along the Catawba River, don't forget to visit the Landsford Canal State Park this Summer. It is a great place to have a picnic anytime. Close to Mothers day the Spider Lilies fill the River Shoals with fields of white spider Lilies. You can also rent canoes and canoe around these beauties for a closer look. Check with the South Carolina Park system online or in person for more information on tours and picnic shelter rentals for Mothers day and Labor Day outings. The best way to say thank you to mom is to surround her with gratitude and unbelievable beauty! Don't forget to purchase a senior membership for the year ( a 50% discount) for Grandma on Mother's day. It's good for a year in every South Carolina State Park and covers a car load of grandkids too! Park admission per person is $6.00 each without it.

Really amazing place to paddle. I dropped off my kayak at the put out. Parked my car at the Take out and hiked back to the Put out.. Cool to see the canal ruins along the way. The endangered spider lilies in bloom were pretty neat to see. Only place on earth you can see so many growing in the same location. Checked water flow before going out and seemed to be perfect. A little rocky and got stuck a couple of times but not that big of a deal. My only headache was the take out area. The sign just says the parks name and it’s just a bank, not really a launch or anything. I wasn’t sure if that was even the area you need to get out. So I floated right by. Big mistake.. once I realized that must have been it, I had to paddle back upstream in very shallow water. Barely moved. I think it would be cool if they made the take out area more of a ramp like the put out.. Nothing like climbing up a 2 foot muddy bank to get out. Anyway besides that a great time and recommend!