1
James Island County Park
Park
262 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Outdoors · Charleston
Charleston, SC parks, trails & bike paths
About 12% of Charleston is conserved land, roughly 10,087 acres. There are about 86 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in James Island County Park (2.9 mi), Hampton Park (2.6 mi), and Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site (1.7 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Charleston, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Charleston outdoors
Conserved land
12%
10,087 of 87,071 acres
Trails
86 mi
0.6 mi per sq mi · 27 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
78
65 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
32.4 mi
7.8 mi lanes · 22.7 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number or a place below to zoom in© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
2
Hampton Park
Managed by City of Charleston
41 acres2.6 mi of trail
Parcourse FitCircuit
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
DirectionsTo the parking lot
3
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
Managed by South Carolina State Parks
403 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
4
Governor's Park
Park
33 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
5
Stono River County Park
Park
24 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the trail sign
6
West Ashley Park
Park
63 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
All 78 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 78 parks & preserves
James Island County Park262 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
Hampton Park41 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · City of Charleston
Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site403 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · South Carolina State Parks
Governor's Park33 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Stono River County Park24 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
West Ashley Park63 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Marion Square6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Charleston
Harborview / Fort Johnson Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Joe Riley Waterfront Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Charleston
Charleston Nine Memorial Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Charleston
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
10Beaches4Public pools117Playgrounds30Dog parks13Boat launches2Fishing spots1Scenic view9Picnic areas2Campgrounds10Community gardens
Dog parks in Charleston
Showing 1–10 of 30 dog parks
Ackerman Dog ParkIn Ackerman Park
Big Dog Park
Bluewater Appartments Dog Park
Bolton's Landing Appartments Dog Park
Carolina Bay Dog Park
Governor's Park Dog ParkIn Governor's Park
Grand Oaks Dog Park
Hampton Dog Park
James Island County Dog ParkIn James Island County Park
Peggy’s Park
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 10.4 miHorses 2.8 miUnpaved 21.9 mi
Showing 1–10 of 11 trails
- Nature Trail4.0 mi
- Tuxbury Horse Trail2.4 mi
- Big Swamp Motorway1.2 mi
- Hoover Road A0.6 mi
- Arrowhead Trail0.6 mi
- Beresford Woods Trail0.5 mi
- Turkey Trot Trail0.5 mi
- Forest Road 63460.4 mi
- Winding Creek Trail0.4 mi
- Parcourse FitCircuit0.3 mi
Water
Lakes & rivers
Showing 1–10 of 17 places
Alberta Sottile Long LakelakeClaiborne PondpondColonial LakepondLake HollislakePineapple FountainSmythe LakelakeThe Lodge Alley Inn FountainVendue FountainWaverly PondWhitney Lake
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
10,087 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 2,410 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. Public access isn't recorded for 3 of 138 parcels. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes7.8 mi
- Off-road bike paths22.7 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes1.9 mi
Courts & fields
- Tennis192
- Soccer60
- Basketball50
- Baseball47
- Pickleball23
- Football13
- Tracks13
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Charleston
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
National Forest 3,363 acConservation Easement 2,680 acLocal Park 1,654 acState Other or Unknown 1,367 acLocal Recreation Area 773 ac
Showing 1–10 of 15 places
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Marion National ForestNational Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,363 | Open |
| Morris IslandState Other or Unknown | Other state land | 984 | Access unknown |
| James Island County ParkLocal Park | County | 633 | Open |
| Charles Towne Landing State Historic SiteLocal Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 396 | Open |
| State of South Carolina Marshland 9State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 273 | Open |
| West Ashley ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 262 | Open |
| Bear Swamp RoadLocal Recreation Area | Town or city | 211 | Open |
| State of South Carolina Marshland 1State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 130 | Open |
| Municipal Golf CourseLocal Recreation Area | Town or city | 130 | Open |
| Athletic ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 123 | Open |
History
Historic places to visit
Showing 1–10 of 144 places
"The Medway Plan"In Joe Riley Waterfront Park · Plaque · 2017
"We Will Never Forget"In Charleston Nine Memorial Park · Plaque
14 Cumberland Street GarageFee · No · 1990
28 Chapel Street | Vanderhorst MansionPlaque
54 King Street | The James Brown House | Circa 1768Plaque
54 Queen StreetPlaque
69 Wentworth Street Parking GarageHours: Mon–Tue 9 am – 9 pm; Wed 9 am – 10 pm; Thu 9 am – 11 pm; Fri–Sat 9 am – 12 am; Sun 10 am – 7 pm · Fee · No · 1992
76 Beaufain Street MarkerPlaque · 2005
8 Queen Street MarkerPlaque · 2015
99 WestEdge GarageFee · No · 2017
Nearby
Charleston and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 11.6% | 86.1 mi | 78 |
| Hollywood | 6% | 0.6 mi | 4 |
| Folly Beach | 7.3% | 1.1 mi | 3 |
| North Charleston | 3.9% | 67.1 mi | 31 |
| Mount Pleasant | 8.5% | 35.7 mi | 13 |
| Goose Creek | 1.3% | 34.5 mi | 16 |
| Hanahan | 1.1% | 1.9 mi | 6 |
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Charleston's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 69.9-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.