Rankin Lake Park

Folks, we are lucky to have a place like this so close. A very nice 1.5 mile paved walking track, with a beautiful continuous view of the lake and all of the things of nature that come with it. You can watch the eagles fly, the ducks playing on top of the water. You can see fish swimming and an occasional harmless banded water snake. Even deer are present at the park sometimes. This is a pet friendly park, and they have stations that supply bags to pick up poop that comes from your pet (please pick up after your dog). A nice playground for the kids, that includes a zip-line, just a great place to spend some relaxing time.

Beautiful lake and walk around it has so many views and things to do. We just walked around the park for the exercise and beauty. They have fishing areas, rental boats on weekends in the fall, pavilions, disc golf, bathrooms, grills at pavilions and horseshoe pits. I am not the biggest fan of Gastonia but this is a gem in the rough.

Rankin Lake State Park is a beautiful and serene park that offers various outdoor activities. The park is well-maintained, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The lake is perfect for fishing and paddling, boating, kayaking, and the hiking trails offer picturesque views of the surrounding nature.
We rented a motor boat and we only paid 10 dollars for an hour and that’s really affordable.

I like to come here for a quick motivating run. Nice ring around the lake, over a mile. Nice to walk as well. Has places to sit, fish and a play ground. Gorgeous in the fall. People are friendly and give greeting! Has a lot of green space for a picnic. There are grills also on site.

Very calm quiet and picturesque for walks. Chance upon some fish, ducks, turtles, or geese and dragonfly, or like us a crayfish while chatting with your mate, just makes it better!!!

Beautiful place! Great trails to walk and be with nature. A great place for a wedding.

Brilliant, wide open park with a giant lake surrounded completely by a paved shoreline walkway. Numerous benches, a long bridge and several nice fishing piers are featured. Great place to walk your dog and picnicking spots abound. One whole side of the park is flanked by a sprawling swamp where access is wisely forbidden and well posted. Would be extremely peaceful were it not for the loud gunfire emanating from the firing range across the swamp.

Rankin Lake is a well maintained park. The park contains picnic shelters and inside areas to provide an ideal spot for your events. There is plenty to do here. The park contains a 1.5 mile paved walking track around the beautiful lake. You can rent kayaks, canoes, peddle and Jon boats at a fair price. Fishing is not bad here either. It's fully stocked with bluegills/brim for beginners. I particularly enjoy the the surprisingly diverse amount of flora and fauna here. Special thanks to Catie Russell for providing the butterfly, fish and flower pictures.

Things to know: The entrance is narrow so yield accordingly. They charge a small fee to fish. Bring a water bottle!

This has become a great place to frequent. There is a lot to do here for the whole family. The walking trail around the lake is my favorite in the county. There is almost always a breeze, making a long walk on even a hot day more enjoyable. There is always wildlife to observe (and watch out for!) which makes every visit unique. There are also places for disc golf and cornhole.

Park is really beautiful and great for our county! Nice place for a picnic with friends and family. Clean, well-maintained, and usually staff are present. I would recommend the park to anyone whether you are fishing, walking, playing disc golf, canoeing or paddle boating, or just relaxing watching the children play on the new playground. The Zipline is a wonderful addition I had to give it a try myself and must say I felt like a kid again.

Super nice place! Get place for a run, walk, kayaking, canoeing, etc. Dog friendly too. Great views. Very safe. Highly recommend this place. We will be back.

Gorgeous area with walking trails that you can walk your dog along. Access to Greenway off of the trail at one point. Fishing is allowed in certain parts. Shelters many shelters available to reserve for family get togethers. The lake has paddle boats and canoes to rent. There is also a playground for kids to use. I highly recommend a visit!

Peaceful, a nice place to relax and/or go fishing. Very pleasant experience.

I love coming to Rankin Lake. It's a great place to walk or ride your bike. Sometimes, I even hang up my hammock near the creek. They have a great playground with an awesome Zipline.

The walkways, (1.5 mile around the lake) are fabulous, the Zipline on the playground is way cool, they allow fishing, give little kid starting kits to fish, have paddle boats and a challenging disc golf course. Beware if you're little ones are afraid of loud noise. The police shooting range is in earshot. There are bathrooms and dogs are allowed.

Beautiful park to go on a walk!! Stunning lake views and you can see a pretty cool sunset at golden hour! I keep coming back here all year long.

Best park in Gaston County. There are plenty of things to do here you can walk around the 1 1/2 mile track, bring your bike to ride as well as your pets to walk. You can book birthday party’s/events in the building or they have 2 picnic areas that are covered also you can rent boats , paddle boats or canoes or go fishing in the lake off the multiple piers they have. They keep the bathrooms pretty clean too which is a plus.

Update: They have added security cameras also which is always a plus.

Such a pretty place! Disc golf, playground, walking loop around the lake, and plenty of shelters with picnic tables. This park has it all!

The lake was beautiful as ever. They were draining out some water due to all the rain. Also the wild life was roaming around.

It's the most amazing place to go. Clean. It was great to pass time with family and friends ❤ 😊 .