Conestee Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
300 acres4.8 mi of trail
Flat Tail TrailWhite Tail TrailFroggy Bottom LinkBox Turtle Run+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Lake Conestee Park Office ParkingWebsite ↗
Photo: CantoV · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Greenville
Greenville has 29 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Conestee Nature Preserve (4.8 mi), Cleveland Park (3 mi), Green Forest Park (1.2 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 522 acres are parks and preserves, 7.2 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #23 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
759 acres · of 30.9 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
522 ac
7.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
63 mi
32 mi lanes · 24 mi paths
Highest peak
1,191 ft
Butler Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Greenville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greenville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greenville is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #23 of 169 in South Carolina. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greenville’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical SC town 1% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · SC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land7.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (522 acres) · SC 6 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home78% 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 62%
LessMore
South Carolina towns of 2,500+ (169)Ahead of 87%
Few South Carolina towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Greenville’s 4% is ahead of 76% of South Carolina towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% of them.
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 Conestee Nature Preserve, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cleveland Park
Park
113 acres3 mi of trail
Troop 19 TrailEagle TrailFernwood Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Zoo Parking
Green Forest Park
Park
26 acres1.2 mi of trail
Sliding Rock Creek Mountain Bike TrailSliding Rock II Hike/Bike Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 47 parks & preserves
Conestee Nature Preserve300 acres · 4.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCleveland Park113 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsGreen Forest Park26 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Unity Park62 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsFalls Park17 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGower Estates Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLegacy Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsTimmons Park28 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMcPherson Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCancer Survivors Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLinky Stone Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRock Quarry Garden2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Croft Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsProspect Green1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNicholtown Community Center Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Thompson Gardner Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSliding Rock Creek Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Conestee Park38 acres
DirectionsWenwood Soccer Complex28 acres
DirectionsHolmes Park9 acres
DirectionsUniversity Park6 acres
DirectionsFlying Rabbit Adventures6 acres
DirectionsNorth Main Rotary Park5 acres
DirectionsWest Greenville Community Center Park5 acres
Mayberry Park3 acres
DirectionsDavid Hellams Community Center Park3 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park3 acres
DirectionsHessie T. Morrah Park2 acres
Croftstone Park2 acres
DirectionsGreen Avenue Memorial Park2 acres
Gatlin Park2 acres
DirectionsRockwood Park2 acres
Sue Simpson Garden Park1 acres
DirectionsAugusta Circle Park1 acres
DirectionsRunway Park1 acres
DirectionsPKL Park1 acres
DirectionsSummit Drive Park1 acres
DirectionsRailroad Mini-Park1 acres
Newtown Park1 acres
Henry Bacon McKoy Park1 acres
West Washington Community Park1 acres
DirectionsLoxley Park1 acres
DirectionsSkyland Park1 acres
Watts Park1 acres
McDaniel Green Garden @ Cleveland Park1 acres
Logan Park1 acres
DirectionsNicholltown Pocket Park1 acres
Who protects it
759 conserved acres
4% of Greenville’s land. Who manages Greenville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits391 ac
Town or city356 ac
Private owners284 ac
County16 ac
Conservation Easement · 391 acLocal Recreation Area · 354 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 284 acLocal Park · 18 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 107 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Conestee Nature Park Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 284 | Closed |
| Cleveland Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Conestee Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Wenwood Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Timmons Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Gower Estates Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Legacy Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Green Forest Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 13 | Open |
| Falls Park on the Reedy Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
121 places to go in Greenville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Greenville
BS UMC Playground
DirectionsM60 Patton Series TankIn Gower Estates Park
DirectionsNature PlayscapeIn Conestee Nature Preserve
DirectionsPlay Patch at Magnolia Park
DirectionsStone Academy PlaygroundIn Croft Park
DirectionsTrinity Lutheran Playground
DirectionsswingsIn Gower Estates Park
Directions86 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Greenville
4 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Greenville
Arboretum FallsIn Falls Park
DirectionsLower Reedy River FallsIn Falls Park
DirectionsReedy River FallsIn Falls Park
DirectionsRock Quarry FallsIn Rock Quarry Garden
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Greenville
Bird NestIn Conestee Nature Preserve
DirectionsFalls Overlook
DirectionsFalls OverlookIn Falls Park
DirectionsPaul B. Ellis, III OverlookIn Falls Park
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Greenville
Butler Hill1,191 ft elevation
DirectionsRoper Mountain1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Greenville
Commons Building Outdoor seating area
DirectionsPavilion 1
DirectionsPavilion 2
DirectionsPicnic Tables AreaIn Timmons Park
DirectionsPlus 8 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Greenville
Timmons ParkIn Timmons Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Greenville
3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
18 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.6 miUnpaved · 12.8 mi
Orange Trail2.6 mi
Sliding Rock Creek Mountain Bike Trail1.1 mi
Sliding Rock II Hike/Bike Trail1.0 mi
Troop 19 Trail1.0 mi
Flat Tail Trail0.9 mi
White Tail Trail0.5 mi
Eagle Trail0.5 mi
Fernwood Nature Trail0.4 mi
Froggy Bottom Link0.3 mi
Box Turtle Run0.2 mi
8 more trails
Lake Conestee Nature Trail
0.1 miHollingsworth Trail
0.1 miGray Fox Trail
0.1 miSpring Lizard Link
0.1 miChickadee Link
0.1 miSwamp Rabbit Trail Clean Water Connector Loop
0.1 miWoodie Walk
0.1 mi3 Squirrels Link
0.1 miBiking & sports
63 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
32 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
24 mi
off-road bike paths
6.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Sliding Rock Creek Mountain Bike TrailBike route
2 miSwamp Rabbit TrailBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
116Tennis
32Basketball
30Baseball
26Pickleball
15Soccer
4Football
2Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →52 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 17 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Earle Town HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itWhitehallBuilding · listed 1969
About itChrist Church (Episcopal) and ChurchyardBuilding · listed 1971
About itReedy River Falls Historic Park and GreenwaySite · listed 1973
About itFountain Fox Beattie HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itJosiah Kilgore HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itDowntown Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1977
About itHampton-Pinckney Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itWesley, John, Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itBroad MarginBuilding · listed 1978
About itReedy River Industrial DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About it40 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Greenville: April to June
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 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 56 | 64 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 63 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
October is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 4.8 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Greenville →
Next door
Greenville and its neighbors
Greenville has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Greenville29 miGantt1.6 miWade Hampton1.4 miMauldin0.8 miParker0.5 miJudson0.2 miSans Souci0.1 miConestee0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | 4% | 0.9 | 7 | 78% | B |
| Gantt | 2% | 0.2 | 6 | 39% | C |
| Wade Hampton | 1% | 0.2 | 2 | 32% | C− |
| Parker | 2% | 0.1 | 5 | 81% | C |
| Conestee | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Judson | 2% | 0.3 | 3 | 61% | C |
| Mauldin | 2% | 0.1 | 3 | 52% | C− |
| Sans Souci | 2% | under 0.1 | 1 | 60% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greenville
Where can I hike in Greenville?
The longest trail networks: Conestee Nature Preserve, 4.8 miles; Cleveland Park, 3 miles; Green Forest Park, 1.2 miles; Unity Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greenville is conserved land?
4% 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 Greenville’s trails?
Conestee Nature Preserve and Cleveland Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greenville?
63 miles of bike routes are on the map: 32 of painted or protected lanes, 24 of off-road paths and 6.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Sliding Rock Creek Mountain Bike Trail and Swamp Rabbit Trail.
Is there public land near Greenville?
4,031 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greenville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 603 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Greenville have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #23 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 Greenville 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 →