Landsford Canal

We visited Landsford Canal State Park today. We havenβt been in years and as we didnβt get to visit Maggie Valley, NC this year and hike around there we at least got to hike in something familiar.

The trails here remind us of Alum Cave in Tennessee, in some parts. Same smells and sounds walking through the forest.
The Canal Trail is a little over three miles round trip and a really easy hike. Depending on if you climb on everything like my son, of course. He probably adds an easy mile to everywhere we go.

The Landsford Canal is a navigation channel that opened in 1823 with the purpose of bypassing rapids along the Catawba River to allow efficient freight transport and rapid travel between nearby communities and settlements along the rural frontiers of the era. It had five locks operating over a stretch of two miles with an elevation change overall of 32β34 feet. It was part of the inland navigation system from the ‘Up Country’ to Charleston, built systematically from 1819, and the navigations are today the centerpiece of Canal State Park. (From Wikipedia)

Itβs fairly impressive, even in ruins, and there are so many photography opportunities. Just bring whatever camera you have and your eye (or both) and find your image.
The nearest town is Fort Lawn and Iβm posting directions from there. But a quick internet search will give you directions from most anywhere.


I wonβt throw much more on this post as I think the experience should be saved for you.
Seegars