Landsford Canal State Park, State park along Catawba River in South Carolina, United States.
Landsford Canal State Park is a state park on the banks of the Catawba River in South Carolina. The site preserves sections of a 19th-century canal with stone locks, riverside hiking trails, and stretches of rocky shoreline.
The canal was built in the early 1800s to move goods past the natural rapids of the Catawba River. When railroads arrived in the region, the waterway was no longer needed and fell out of use.
In spring, the rocky shallows of the Catawba River fill with white blooms of the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily, a plant found in only a handful of spots across the entire Southeast. Visitors come specifically during this season to walk along the riverbank and see the flowers up close.
The park has a clearly marked trail that runs along the river and past the old canal structures. The ground can be uneven and slippery near the water, so sturdy shoes are a good idea.
The stone locks of the old canal are still partly standing along the riverbank and can be seen up close on the trail. They were built entirely by hand, which gives a concrete sense of the labor involved in moving goods by water in that era.
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