Old Brick House · Photo: Harvey Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0Elizabeth City has 5.3 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
140 acres are parks and preserves, 7.4 per 1,000 residents. 2% of Elizabeth City’s land is conserved, about 136 acres. 66% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #123 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Elizabeth City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Elizabeth City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elizabeth City is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #123 of 290 in North Carolina. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Knobbs Creek Park
Enfield Recreation Area
All 12 parks & preserves
136 conserved acres
2% of Elizabeth City’s land. Who manages Elizabeth City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 26 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Park Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Enfield Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Knobbs Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Camden County Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 12 | Unknown |
| City of Elizabeth City - George Wood Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 9 | Unknown |
| City of Elizabeth City Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| Waterfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Charles Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| NC Hazard Mitigation Buyout Property - Pasquotank County State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
17 places to go in Elizabeth City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Elizabeth City: April and May
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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 54 | 60 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 81 | 72 | 62 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Elizabeth City →
Questions about parks and trails in Elizabeth City
Where can I hike in Elizabeth City?
The longest trail networks: Enfield Recreation Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elizabeth City is conserved land?
2% 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 Elizabeth City’s trails?
South Park Sports Complex and River Road Soccer Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Elizabeth City?
2,462 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elizabeth City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 140 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Elizabeth City have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #123 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Elizabeth City neighbors.
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 →