Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve
Managed by SCDNR
182 acres2.7 mi of trail
Guignard Clay Quarry Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dr. Blazer · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cayce
Cayce has 990 acres of parks, 72 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve (2.7 mi), Cayce Riverwalk (0.7 mi). 7% of Cayce’s land is conserved, about 809 acres. 9.7 miles of mapped trail cross Cayce, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #6 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
809 acres · of 16.9 sq mi of land
Trails
9.7 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
990 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
80%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 7.9 mi paths
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cayce have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cayce is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #6 of 169 in South Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cayce’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical SC town 1% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · SC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (990 acres) · SC 6 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home80% of residents within a half mile of a park · SC 52% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
South Carolina towns of 2,500+ (169)Ahead of 97%
Few South Carolina towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Cayce’s 7% is ahead of 90% of South Carolina towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 10 parks & preserves
Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve182 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · SCDNR
DirectionsCayce Riverwalk252 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsGranby Gardens Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Directions3 Rivers Greenway101 acres
DirectionsHenry C. Moore Park10 acres
DirectionsGuignard Park7 acres · City of Cayce
DirectionsWMJ Cayce Memorial Park5 acres
DirectionsSunnyside Park2 acres
TLC Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsJones Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
809 conserved acres
7% of Cayce’s land. Who manages Cayce’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources571 ac
Private owners160 ac
Town or city69 ac
County9 ac
State Historic or Cultural Area · 571 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 153 acLocal Park · 60 acLocal Recreation Area · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve State Historic or Cultural Area | State natural resources | 571 | Open |
| History Park Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 102 | Closed |
| Timmerman Trail Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 51 | Closed |
| Cayce Riverwalk Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Congaree Riverwalk Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Granby Gardens Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Henry C Moore Park Local Recreation Area | County | 9 | Open |
| Guignard Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Cayce Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Sunnyside Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Cayce
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Cayce
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Cayce
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Cayce
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.2 mi
Guignard Clay Quarry Trail2.6 mi
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.9 mi
off-road bike paths
1.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Cayce RiverwalkBike route
0.4 miCourts & fields
50Tennis
15Baseball
4Basketball
3Soccer
3Beach volleyball
2Football
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Cayce: 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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 61 | 69 | 77 | 84 | 90 | 93 | 91 | 86 | 77 | 67 | 60 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
November is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Cayce →
Next door
Cayce and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayce | 7% | 0.6 | 72 | 80% | A− |
| West Columbia | 1% | 0.2 | 3 | 75% | C |
| Columbia | 3% | 2.9 | 6 | 66% | B |
| Olympia | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Pine Ridge | 10% | 3.1 | 17 | 38% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cayce
Where can I hike in Cayce?
The longest trail networks: Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, 2.7 miles; Cayce Riverwalk, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cayce is conserved land?
7% of its land, against a typical 1% for a South Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Cayce’s trails?
Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve and Cayce Riverwalk don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cayce?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 7.9 of off-road paths and 1.9 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Cayce Riverwalk.
Is there public land near Cayce?
4,424 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cayce or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 990 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Cayce have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 of 169 in South 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 Cayce 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 →