Palmetto Island County Park
Park
127 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
USS Yorktown (Cv-10) · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Mount Pleasant
10% of Mount Pleasant’s land is conserved: 3,159 acres
The biggest trail networks: Palmetto Island County Park (1.5 mi), Fort Palmetto Park (1 mi), Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (0.9 mi). 38 miles of mapped trail cross Mount Pleasant, 0.8 per square mile of land. 2,399 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #9 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
3,159 acres · of 49.8 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,399 ac
26 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
24 mi
5.4 mi lanes · 19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
11
13 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Mount Pleasant?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mount Pleasant have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Pleasant is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #9 of 169 in South Carolina. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Pleasant’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical SC town 1% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · SC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land26 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,399 acres) · SC 6 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home55% 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 75%
LessMore
South Carolina towns of 2,500+ (169)Ahead of 95%
Few South Carolina towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Mount Pleasant’s 10% is ahead of 93% of South Carolina towns, while its trails per square mile lead 84% of them.
Water is 15% of Mount Pleasant’s area (9 of 59 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
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 Palmetto Island County Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fort Palmetto Park
Managed by Town of Mount Pleasant
28 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
Managed by National Park Service
29 acres0.9 mi of trail
Nature Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Laurel Hill County Park
Park
742 acres0.7 mi of trail
White
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
Managed by Town of Mount Pleasant
15 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Eastlake Park
Park
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Palmetto Island County Park127 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFort Palmetto Park28 acres · 1 mi of trail · Town of Mount Pleasant
DirectionsCharles Pinckney National Historic Site29 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsLaurel Hill County Park742 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park15 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Town of Mount Pleasant
DirectionsKearns Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsEastlake Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Creekside Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPerseverance Square1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Westlake Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary46 acres
Pitt Street Bridge Park1 acres
Maybank Green1 acres
Who protects it
3,159 conserved acres
10% of Mount Pleasant’s land. Water is left out: Mount Pleasant has 49.8 square miles of land and 8.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mount Pleasant’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,132 ac
Private owners845 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits822 ac
Town or city301 ac
State natural resources30 ac
National Park Service29 ac
Other state land4 ac
Local Park · 2,054 acConservation Easement · 822 acLocal Recreation Area · 224 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 29 acState Conservation Area · 28 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 822 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmetto Islands County Park Local Park | County | 891 | Open |
| Laurel Hill County Park Local Park | Private owners | 836 | Open |
| Rifle Range Road Park Local Park | County | 239 | Open |
| Mount Pleasant Recreation Department Park West Recreation Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Carolina Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Shem Creek Boardwalk Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 29 | Restricted |
| Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 28 | Restricted |
| Town of Mount Pleasant Open Space 1 Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| R.L. Jones Recreation Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
99 places to go in Mount Pleasant
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Mount Pleasant
Plus 3 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Mount Pleasant
Eastlake Playground
DirectionsKindergarden Playground
DirectionsRemley's Point Community Playground
DirectionsTupelo Forest Playground
DirectionsWando East Playground
Directions48 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Mount Pleasant
Palmetto Islands County Big Dog ParkIn Palmetto Island County Park
DirectionsPalmetto Islands County Small Dog ParkIn Palmetto Island County Park
DirectionsPlus 13 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Mount Pleasant
Plus 10 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Mount Pleasant
Adventurous Fishing Charters
DirectionsPlus 7 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Mount Pleasant
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Mount Pleasant
5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Mount Pleasant
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Mount Pleasant
I'On Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 11 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 5.5 mi
White0.3 mi
Nature Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
24 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
19 mi
off-road bike paths
0.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
155Tennis
26Soccer
21Baseball
19Basketball
14Pickleball
7Beach volleyball
3Football
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 43 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Snee Farm-Charles Pinckney National Historic SiteNational Historic Landmark · District · listed 2021
About itOld CourthouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itChrist ChurchBuilding · listed 1972
About itMount Pleasant Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itOakland Plantation HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itSlave Street, Smokehouse, and Allee, Boone Hall PlantationDistrict · listed 1983
About itBoone Hall Plantation House and Historic LandscapeDistrict · listed 1994
About itLucas Family CemeterySite · listed 1998
About itCook's Old Field CemeterySite · listed 2003
About itPhillips Community Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Mount Pleasant: 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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 62 | 68 | 75 | 81 | 87 | 90 | 89 | 84 | 77 | 68 | 62 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
November is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.4 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Mount Pleasant →
Next door
Mount Pleasant and its neighbors
Mount Pleasant has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | 10% | 0.8 | 26 | 55% | A− |
| Charleston | 14% | 0.8 | 20 | 79% | A− |
| Sullivan's Island | 12% | 1.4 | 19 | 76% | A |
| Awendaw | 14% | 0.6 | 198 | 10% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Pleasant
Where can I hike in Mount Pleasant?
The longest trail networks: Palmetto Island County Park, 1.5 miles; Fort Palmetto Park, 1 miles; Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, 0.9 miles; Laurel Hill County Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mount Pleasant is conserved land?
10% 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 Mount Pleasant’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mount Pleasant?
24 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of painted or protected lanes, 19 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Mount Pleasant?
51,503 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Pleasant or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,402 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mount Pleasant have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Mount Pleasant 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 →