Landsford Canal State Park

Near Rock Hill where the SC/NC state line makes a 90° turn, the Catawba River runs through a series of shoals. The Landsford Canal was built in order to make this portion of the river commercially navigable, and although it was only operational from 1820 to 1835, the well-preserved remains can be explored today as part of the Landsford Canal State Park.

The park is an especially popular destination during May and June; this is when the largest known stand of the rocky shoals spider lily blooms. The aquatic, perennial flowering plant is found only in the Southeast and is under consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Every year on the third Sunday in May the Park hosts the Lily Fest, in honor of the flowers that cover the river in a blanket of white each spring.

Our most recent visit did not coincide with the lily bloom, but the rapids here on the Catawba River are a sight to see in and of themselves. Exposed bedrock and an elevation change create the shoals which are classified as class I or II, but can become class III with the right amount of water flow. The flow is controlled by the dam at Lake Wylie, so before setting out to canoe or kayak it is wise to do some research as the dam can produce up to 6 times what is recommended for most paddlers.

Highlights during a visit to the park include the well-preserved remains of the canal systems consisting of locks, a mill site and the lock-keeper's home. The 1 ½-mile Canal Trail follows the historic tow path of the canal and includes the foundations of an early 1800 mill site. From the Canal Trail visitors can also connect to a shorter, half-mile nature trail.

Landsford Canal is located on a neo-tropical migration corridor and is popular for bird-watching. While hiking the Canal Trail, keep a lookout for the pair of nesting bald eagles and their nest, both of which are often visible from the trail. The eagles have been living here on the Catawba since 1995, and usually lay eggs around the end of February. These eggs will hatch sometime around the beginning of April, and fledge near June 1^st, and for the next several months the birds are frequently sighted in the area with their parents before leaving to find their own territory.

eagles' nest, as visible from trail

The park is also popular for fishing: bass, crappie, bream, catfish, carp and gar can be caught in the Catawba. The park’s 448 acres are stretched out along the river, and easy access to its banks provides plenty of choices from where to cast your lure. Among other amenities, dozens of picnic tables and a shelter are on hand for a family picnic, and history buffs will find it interesting to learn that this spot on the river also played a part in the Revolutionary War; both British and American troops using it as a crossing point before and after several pivotal battles.

The park is open daily from 9am to 6pm, and maps, information on admission and answers to commonly asked questions can be found on the park website. The park is about 2 hours from Greenville, making it a great day trip destination and a mandatory item on your spring bucket list.

PS. If you have additional time in the area, Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve is less than one hour away, while Andrew Jackson State Park is just 20 minutes to the northeast.

Spring comes to Nine Times Preserve

As much as I love Nine Times Preserve in the autumn, spring there is simply magical; the light green buds on the trees, the moderate temperatures and blue skies combined with wildflowers and lack of bugs make for memorable hiking! On our previous visit we had hiked the Rocky Bald Loop trail at the very heart of the preserve, but there are two other trails on the Preserve, each with its own magic: Rocky Bald is a favorite for fall color, Cedar Rock Trail faces Nine Times Forest and its granite outcroppings, and Trillium Trail follows Little Eastatoe Creek.

trout lilies on Little Eastatoe

To hike the 1.1 mile Cedar Rock Trail, park at the Cedar Rock parking area at the corner of E. Preston McDaniel and Nine Times Roads. The trail starts next to the kiosk, behind the red fence, and climbs west almost up to the summit of Cedar Rock Mountain before descending on the other side and connecting with Rocky Bald Loop Trail. The 1.1 miles is one way, making this either a 2.2 mile hike if you choose to return the way you came, or somewhere between a 1.5-2 mile trek if you hike from the Cedar Rock parking area to the Rocky Bald parking area via a combination of the two trails.

The trail follows an old road bed about half way. Another benefit to spring hiking are the views of Big Rock Mountain on Nine Times Forest. Although there is no wide-open view with a sweeping panorama, the granite outcroppings are a constant companion to the north between the trees. Once you’ve reached another kiosk featuring a map and information on some of the forest inhabitants, the trail turns away from the roadbed and curves around to the north of the summit of Cedar Rock Mountain. After circling around a spur ridge it turns west again, descending some 200ft in elevation before hitting Rocky Bald Loop.

Big Rock Mountain visible across the way

On our way back we took a small detour in order to find the summit of Cedar Rock, elevation 1,667ft. A couple of enormous, gnarled oaks mark the spot, and after a short rest we resumed our hike, shortly after bumping into the old road bed that eventually becomes the trail.

a snack on the summit

Once back at the parking area we packed up and drove 2 miles west on E. Preston McDaniel Rd. to reach the Trillium Trail parking area. Located on the opposite side of the road at the intersection with Eastatoee Creek Road, the dirt and gravel lot has room for a handful of cars. We crossed the road (also crossing the creek in the process) and re-entered the Preserve. The Trillium Trail isn’t a big hike; it is less than ½ a mile there and back, with no gain/loss in elevation; however, we weren't there for the hike...

While it was a little early in the season for trillium, there was a carpet of trout lilies on both sides of the trail. The sound of traffic on Eastatoee was muted by the sound of running water, and we only encountered one other pair of hikers (although it’s possible they didn’t even see us as we were exploring down in the creek as they passed). The hours quickly sped by in the shade of the giant trees, and I knew the boys would soon be requesting dry clothes and more than just snacks to fuel their adventuring… it was time to head out.

If you have additional time in the area, other favorite spots nearby include Long Shoals Wayside Park, Keowee Toxaway State Park, Twin Falls and the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway 11. 

Milliken Arboretum

It’s only a short drive north up I-85 to reach the Peachoid, Gaffney and the “peach capital of SC,” so it’s no surprise that the land that is now Milliken Arboretum was once a peach orchard. What is can be surprising to first-time visitors is that Milliken today is one of the largest corporate greenspaces in the Southeast, and a nationally recognized arboretum to boot.

The Roger Milliken Center (RMC) campus sits on 600 acres of beautifully manicured spaces, with open fields, groves of trees, fountains and ponds scattered throughout. According to the RMC website it was Mr. Milliken who inspired the design of the property, and today over 500 species of trees and shrubs adorn the grounds.

In 1989, Milliken began a partnership with J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., a plant nursery in Boring, Oregon. In return for tree seedlings, many of which are rare to the region, Milliken keeps records on their growth rates, fall color and flower performance for the nursery. The partnership is still ‘growing’ strong today.

The Milliken arboretum is one of five nationally recognized greenspaces in Spartanburg, which also include the Roger Milliken Arboretum at Wofford College, Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve, and the University of South Carolina Upstate & Spartanburg Community College campuses. Roger Milliken also founded the Noble Tree Foundation (with the goal to beautify Spartanburg), and used a Lacebark elm silhouette for the organization’s logo; a 75-year-old Lacebark elm is likely the oldest tree on the property.

The Arboretum is open to the public, and not only do Milliken employees utilize the trails for exercise during their lunch break, but Spartanburg residents come here to walk their dogs, families to host picnics, and the students from Spartanburg Community College’s horticulture program to study.

The first trees to flower (or the last, as the blossoms begin appearing in late December) are the flowering apricots, and spring brings a profusion of color as the crab apples, cherries and other fruit trees bloom. Summer sees the collection of magnolias from all over the world display their beauty, while autumn brings its own spectacular show of color. Even winter visits have their advantage, as the pecan grove drops its feast for the boys to snack on while playing football under the bare branches.

Among the familiar trees such as water oak and tulip poplar are less familiar ones: Trident maple, Japanese cedar, Chinese pistachio, Princeton American elm and Shawnee Brave baldcypress, the cypress knees seemingly growing out of the grass during our January visit (winter is relatively dry here in the southeast in recent years). I’m told the collection includes trees that were gifts from the DuPonts and Rockafellers, and even with my degree in forestry I was left examining more than one tree as to species, amazed at the variety seemingly flourishing in the red clay and blistering summers of South Carolina.

The arboretum is easy to reach, and despite the main access road being marked as a ‘private drive,’ public parking is available in the principal lot. Make sure to download the free Roger Milliken Center Experience iPhone App, which includes a self-guided tour of the Arboretum, a map of the campus, driving directions and more. Finally, to see what Milliken looks like in the autumn, see my post The first hint of fall at Milliken Arboretum.

  

Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve

Half of a weathered wood, hand-written sign reads “lower parki… area Forty Acre…”, about the only clue you’re in the right place. The 2,965 acre Heritage Preserve near Kershaw is managed by the SC Department of Natural Resources, but isn’t widely publicized due to the sensitive ecosystems it contains; Forty Acres encompasses 2,965 acres of the most diverse protected area in the Piedmont, including granitic flatrocks, waterslides, waterfalls, a beaver pond, caves, hardwood and pine forests, and a variety of wildflowers and wildlife. At least 20 national and state endangered species can be found on the Preserve, Forty Acre Rock being one of five worldwide habitats for the wild Amphianthus pusillus (pool sprite). These uncommon plants grow in vernal pools on the rock, and are among the rarest of their type in North America.

The Rock. It’s actually only 14 acres in size, but as you’re standing on the top it certainly feels like more. Forty Acre Rock is one of six National Natural Landmarks in the state, a National Park Service designation that recognizes only the most outstanding natural and geological features. In spring water will collect in the depressions on the rock, and visitors will find a variety of specialized plants growing there such as lichens, mosses, sedum, and the endangered pool sprite, making March through May the perfect season to visit.

Katawba Valley Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, DNR and other conservation groups teamed up to protect this unique site, piecing the preserve together over 35 + years from 14 separate properties, the most recent of which was added in 2015 (the Rainbow Ranch tract).

To fully experience Forty Acre Rock, hike the moderate, 4.5-mile figure-eight trail from the lower parking area. The trail is well-marked and easy to follow, except for the portion on the actual rock - make sure to take a look at a map before starting off. We prefer hiking the loops in a counter-clockwise direction, starting in the forest next to the lake, climbing up past the cave and waterfall into the rocky area east of the rock before crossing over the rock itself, then descending back down past the waterfall before looping around the beaver pond next to Flat Creek.

Similar to Bald Rock Heritage Preserve here in the Upstate, Forty Acre Rock has long been a target of vandals; graffiti, smashed glass and remnants of illegal fires cover not only exposed rock faces but also caves and even trees. In recent years the DNR is ramping up efforts to curb the abuse and protect this highly sensitive area from illegal vehicle traffic and vandalism; do your part by adhering to DNR regulations and reporting illicit activity.

The beaver pond at sunset

A few notes:

Make sure to check directions/maps before you travel as you most likely won't have a signal.

There are no facilities on the Preserve.

The official DNR Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve website can be found here.

Click here for a map of the trails…

…and this article by nature and travel magazine NatureSouth is invaluable in detailing the plant, bird and animal life that can be found within the Preserve.

Finally, more on South Carolina’s Heritage Preserves can be found in the following Femme au Foyer posts: Bald Rock, Bunched Arrowhead and Poinsett Bridge in Greenville County, Stumphouse Mountain in Oconee, and Eastatoe Creek in Pickens county.

The Fontana Dam

It’s the highest dam east of the Rocky Mountains. As if this weren’t enough to guarantee some fantastic scenery, to the north is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and to the south Nantahala National Forest. Between the dam, Fontana Lake and the spectacular mountain views, Fontana Dam is one western NC attraction you won’t want to miss, only 3 hours from Greenville!

The Little Tennessee River is a 135-mile tributary of the Tennessee River that flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains of GA, NC and TN. The headwaters of the Little Tennessee are high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Chattahoochee National Forest in Rabun County GA. After flowing north into North Carolina it turns northwest, flowing through the Nantahala National Forest and into Tennessee where it ultimately joins the Tennessee River 25 miles southwest of Knoxville. In 1942 construction was started to help alleviate skyrocketing electricity demands in the Tennessee Valley at the height of World War II, and when finished two years later it was the 4^th tallest dam in the world.

480 feet tall and 2,365 feet across, the dam impounds the 10,230 acre Fontana Lake. Both dam and lake are named for the town of Fontana, a lumber and copper-mining hub that was located at the mouth of Eagle Creek before the dam was built. It, along with the towns of Bushnell, Forney, and Judson were completely inundated; a total of 1,311 families, 1,047 graves and over 60 miles of road had to be relocated.

Multiple rivers empty into Fontana Lake, including Tuckasegee River (from Cherokee and Bryson City) and the Nantahala, a portion of its scenic Gorge underwater. Currently NC 28 is the only major road access to the area, although the National Park Service originally agreed to build a road along the lake's north shore to connect the dam to Bryson City. Financial issues and environmental concerns kept this road from being completed, and in 2007 Swain County accepted a $52 million cash settlement from the NPS in exchange for dropping its demand for the north shore road.

The Appalachian Trail crosses the top of the dam, the shower facilities earning it the title of “Fontana Hilton” by through hikers. A Visitor Center is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and is open seasonally with exhibits featuring the history of the region. Nearby Fontana Village (where the construction crews were originally housed) is now a resort mountain town offering fishing excursions, boating, horseback riding and other adventure sports, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Nantahala Forest own and protect about 90% of the 238-mile shoreline of the lake, offering camping and hiking in this remote corner of North Carolina.

To access views from the bottom of the dam, proceed west on Fontana Rd and immediately after crossing the Little Tennessee River turn east (right), following the signs to the parking area. Above the dam there are three parking areas: one adjacent to the Visitor Center, one overlooking Fontana lake (with a picnic pavilion and pier), and a third with a view of the dam.

south to Springer Mountain - only 166.1 miles

A few notes: The water level fluctuates seasonally by about 57 feet, although on our visit it was low enough that the pier was not in the water. Also, the Visitor Center is open 9am to 7pm daily from May through November, and on our visit port-a-potties served as facilities for visitors.