My crew stopped at Lynches River County Park with the hopes of finding the canopy walk in the summer of 2020. This park is located at 110 Ben Gause Road in Coward, South Carolina. We were in the midst of a pandemic, but outdoor areas were opening back up at the time we were traveling.
This is a county park that hugs the Lynches River in the Pee Dee region. We had traveled several hours southeast, and the ecosystem was noticeably different compared to the Piedmont areas of North Carolina.
The park offered a playground, several picnic tables, and a few picnic shelters. We saw several paddlers putting kayaks in at the back of the gravel parking area. One paddler mentioned participating in a boating race on the river each year. A nice boardwalk offered an interesting hike along the river's edge. Several people were out fishing. We saw quite a few butterflies and dragonflies in this area, so photo opportunities abounded.
A main building in the front that was closed due to the pandemic. A walkway from the back of the parking area led to the Environmental Discovery Center behind the main building, which was also closed. However, visitors could walk around the deck of the discovery center to the start of the canopy walk. I believe there were also steps at the back of the Discovery Center if people wanted to climb up the steps rather than to walk across the deck.
I had seen an article about the canopy walk and my crew was ready to check it out. This canopy walk is like a couple of swinging bridge between several trees. The bridges have platforms on which to stand at the tree trunks. The canopy walk is one-way. We only saw one or two other families in this area while we were in the canopy walk area.
If you are visiting this park with small children who are afraid of heights, the canopy walk might not be a great choice because the boards do move when walking on them and the bridge is fairly high. The first section of the canopy walk is like a long deck walkway that does not move, so parents might have kids try that area out first and judge their comfort level before attempting the swinging part. My kids are always up for roller coasters and activities with somewhat of a sense of danger to it, so this activity was right up our alley...or canopy.
I noticed a large display of different types of knots that appeared to be an Eagle Scout project. This was beside the trail from the front building to the discovery center building. Ropes were available for practice for those who would be interested in practicing.
We drove over three hours to get to this park - it was a stop on the way to Huntington Beach State Park. We had to drive a little out of the way to get to the park, but I think it was worth the extra few miles, and it was a nice break for the long drive to the beach.
I was impressed with the boardwalk and the canopy walk. Both were well maintained and several educational signs offered information about various plans and animals. People at the park were friendly, but we all stayed our distance due to pandemic precautions.
This park also offers camping, an archery range, educational sessions, and a splash pad, but we didn't see any of those areas because we only planned to stay a short while at this park. For more information on the park hours, a video, and reservations, visit the Lynches River County Park official web site.
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