Rhododendron Lake Nature Park
Park
10 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Singletary-Reese-Robinson House · Photo: Upstateherd · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Laurel Park
Laurel Park has 6.8 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Rhododendron Lake Nature Park (0.6 mi). 2% of Laurel Park’s land is conserved, about 29 acres. 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 67% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
29 acres · of 2.8 sq mi of land
Trails
6.8 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
29 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.9 mi
0.9 mi paths
Highest peak
3,127 ft
Jumpoff Mountain
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Laurel Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Laurel Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Laurel Park is ahead of 67% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Laurel Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical NC town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · NC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (29 acres) · NC 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home77% of residents within a half mile of a park · NC 51% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 67%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. 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 Rhododendron Lake Nature Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
29 conserved acres
2% of Laurel Park’s land. Who manages Laurel Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city6 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits3 ac
Not recorded29 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 15 acLocal Recreation Area · 14 acLocal Park · 6 acConservation Easement · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Laurel Park Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 15 | Unknown |
| Town of Laurel Park - Rhododendron Lake Nature Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
| Jump Off Rock Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Town of Laurel Park - Laurel Green Park Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Laurel Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Laurel Park
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Laurel Park
Jump Off RockIn Jump Off Rock Park
DirectionsPeaks in Laurel Park
Jumpoff Mountain3,127 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Jump Off Rock Blue Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Tennis
4Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Singletary-Reese-Robinson HouseBuilding · listed 2010
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Laurel Park: April to 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 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 58 | 67 | 74 | 79 | 82 | 81 | 76 | 67 | 57 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 5.2 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.3 |
February is the driest month (4.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Laurel Park →
Next door
Laurel Park and its neighbors
Laurel Park has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Park | 2% | 2.4 | 12 | 77% | B+ |
| Hendersonville | 4% | 0.2 | 13 | 60% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Laurel Park
Where can I hike in Laurel Park?
The longest trail networks: Rhododendron Lake Nature Park, 0.6 miles; Laurel Green Park, 0.4 miles; Jump Off Rock Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Laurel Park 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 Laurel Park’s trails?
Rhododendron Lake Nature Park and Laurel Green Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Laurel Park?
0.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Laurel Park?
12,673 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Laurel Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 29 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Laurel Park have?
Ahead of 67% 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 Laurel Park 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 →