This park is located in Chester County. All of the canal ruins are again in Chester County. It would be nice if this were indicated somewhere in your write up. This is a jewel of a park and Chester County is proud to be home of Landsford Canal.
This is a beautiful state park. The river is stunning and the views of the lilies when they are in bloom are breathtaking. There is a great hike along the river with lots of history about the canals along the way. The park is very well maintained and has great picnic areas so bring a lunch or dinner spread with you when visiting and plan to make a day of it.
Only 40 minutes from Ballantyne (Charlotte, NC), Lansford Canal State Park is a hidden gem. I've lived in the Carolinas for 13 years and cannot believe I am just now finding this wonderful State Park. Go in May or early June if you can to catch the spider lilies. They are absolutely beautiful and you can see them after a 3/4 of a mile easy hike. The largest collection of spider lilies in the USA. There is a 200+ year old cabin on site, picnic tables, playground, and the opportunity to rent kayaks /canoes so that you can paddle along the Catawba River if you choose. You will have to call a local kayak renting company as the park does not rent them (the park rangers can point you in the right direction). Young and old will love this State Park so take a picnic, grab your hiking shoes and just GO!!!!
This is a great park. The spider lilies were in full bloom when we were there. They were just beautiful and worth the trip there. The park also has a couple nice trails. They aren't too long and worth your time to walk them. Admission is $5 per adult and you will need to have correct change as you just put your money in an envelope.
This place has nice trails. I missed the tiger lilies. The picnic area is great. Will definitely visit again.
Landsford Canal, located about an hour south of Charlotte in Fort Lawn, is a great place for a family outing. It has wonderful picnic facilities right along the river, nice clean bathrooms, a "log cabin", a great graveled/packed earth walking trail, and wonderful views. The best part is the river itself. Filled with boulders, it lends itself to exciting boulder scrambling interlaced with small swimming holes. Perfect on a hot day! It is also home to the world’s largest population of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies. These beautiful flowers bloom each year along the Catawba River and can be viewed from the park from May through mid-June. A 1.5-mile, round trip hike down the Canal Trail takes you to an overlook where the spider lilies can be best viewed. Plan on a great day!
This river has the river lilys and when they are in bloom it is truely amazing! The river had a wonder path to walk along and take pictures of the lilies and places of the old canel and how it was used. We spent a whole afternoon here and truely enjoyed it! There are benchs to sit on along the way; places to take photos; wheel chairs can be used as it has a paved trail. Very nice and inexpensive.
I was told that the place is amazing during the spring when the water lilies are blooming … we visited the park during September and it was still great. It is beautiful (the trail and the river) and very accessible (strollers, wheelchairs etc.). You can go all the way (about 1.5 miles on the canal trail) to the other parking lot (but then you’ll have to walk back the same way unless you have deposited one car on each end), or you can go half way to the view point and then go back.You have clean restrooms with running water at the main parking lot (next to the park office).
Landsford Canal State Park was a beautiful, well cared for park. Local people were enjoying the river fishing and using kayaks or inflatable boats. It was a great short walk, clean restrooms and nice people.
We visited primarily to see the spider lilies, but because of the late season they were not yet all in flower. It's worth checking the web-site for latest information about the state of the blooms. Despite that we spent a very pleasant couple of hours walking by the river and along the site of the old canal, and marvelling at the construction skills of its builders. It's a pity that so much has been allowed to fall into decay - a concerted volunteer effort might allow a section to be restored to its initial condition. The paths are well surfaced and the walking is easy, and the view-point overlooking the lily site is well placed. The park is well serviced with picnic tables and rest-rooms.