Swain County Recreation Park
Park
37 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: GreatSmokies · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Bryson City
Bryson City has 45 acres of parks, 23 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Swain County Recreation Park (0.5 mi). 1.0 miles of mapped trail cross Bryson City, 0.5 per square mile of land. 4% of Bryson City’s land is conserved, about 56 acres.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
56 acres · of 2.2 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
45 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bryson City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bryson City is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bryson City’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (45 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home53% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 60%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Swain County Recreation Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bryson City Island Park
Park
5 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Riverfront Park
Managed by Swain County Parks and Recreation
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
56 conserved acres
4% of Bryson City’s land. Who manages Bryson City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Not recorded56 ac
Local Recreation Area · 41 acLocal Other or Unknown · 15 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 3 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swain County Recreation Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
| Town of Bryson City Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Town of Bryson City - Bryson City Island Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 5 | Unknown |
Things to do
6 places to go in Bryson City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Bryson City
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Bryson City
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Bryson City
Bear Hunter Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Baseball
4Tennis
2Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bryson City: April to June and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 49 | 54 | 61 | 71 | 78 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 71 | 61 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 5.1 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 5.4 |
October is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.4 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bryson City →
Questions about parks and trails in Bryson City
Where can I hike in Bryson City?
The longest trail networks: Swain County Recreation Park, 0.5 miles; Bryson City Island Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bryson City is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Bryson City’s trails?
Swain County Recreation Park and Bryson City Island Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bryson City?
107,480 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bryson City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 45 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bryson City have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Bryson City neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →