North Charleston Wannamaker County Park
Park
146 acres0.8 mi of trail
Yellow TrailPeach Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John Rutledge Smith · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in North Charleston
North Charleston has 68 miles of mapped trails, 0.9 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: North Charleston Wannamaker County Park (0.8 mi). 2,023 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents. 4% of North Charleston’s land is conserved, about 2,042 acres.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #15 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
2,042 acres · of 78.0 sq mi of land
Trails
68 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,023 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
28 mi
17 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is North Charleston?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Charleston have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Charleston is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #15 of 169 in South Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Charleston’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 (68 mi) · SC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,023 acres) · SC 6 · U.S. 13BParks close to home66% 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 68%
LessMore
South Carolina towns of 2,500+ (169)Ahead of 92%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, North Charleston ranks #281 on Outdoors.
Few South Carolina towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so North Charleston’s 4% is ahead of 77% of South Carolina towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% 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 North Charleston Wannamaker County Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 31 parks & preserves
North Charleston Wannamaker County Park146 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverfront Park16 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAir Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPark Circle36 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMosstree Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · North Charleston Parks and Recreation
Collins Park29 acres
DirectionsNorthwoods Park22 acres
Ingevity-Westrock Park21 acres
DirectionsCooper River Marina Park16 acres
DirectionsPepperhill Park13 acres
DirectionsFour Poles Park10 acres · City of North Charleston
DirectionsQuarterman Park7 acres · City of North Charleston
DirectionsMinor Crosby Community Center6 acres
Varnadore Park5 acres · City of North Charleston
DirectionsRalph M. Hendricks Park4 acres · City of North Charleston
DirectionsFelix Pinckney Community Center4 acres
Hillsdale Park4 acres
Accabee Park3 acres
DirectionsExchange Park2 acres
DirectionsPerry-Webb Community Center2 acres
J. V. Morris Complex2 acres
DirectionsPalmetto Gardens Park2 acres
DirectionsThomas Evans Community Center2 acres
Whipper Barony Park1 acres · City of North Charleston
DirectionsEllis Park1 acres
Chicora-Cherokee Community Park1 acres
Pump House Park1 acres · City of North Charleston Parks & Recreation
Oak Park1 acres · City of North Charleston
DirectionsTriangle Park1 acres · City of North Charleston Parks & Recreation
DirectionsMidland Lake Park1 acres
Pocket Park1 acres · Oak Terrace Preserve HOA
DirectionsWho protects it
2,042 conserved acres
4% of North Charleston’s land. Who manages North Charleston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,147 ac
Town or city756 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits134 ac
Private owners5 ac
Local Park · 1,300 acLocal Recreation Area · 497 acUnknown Easement · 128 acLocal Other or Unknown · 111 acConservation Easement · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 134 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 83 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wannamaker Park Local Park | County | 983 | Open |
| Golf Club at Wescott Plantation Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 316 | Open |
| Filbin Creek Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 107 | Open |
| Wescott Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Ashley River Park Local Park | County | 38 | Open |
| Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Park Circle Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Wannamaker County Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Four Poles Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Cooper River Marina Local Recreation Area | County | 25 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
148 places to go in North Charleston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North Charleston
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in North Charleston
Morley Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in North Charleston
Park Circle PlaygroundIn Park Circle
DirectionsSandboxIn Riverfront Park
Directions123 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in North Charleston
Broken Leash Dog Bar
DirectionsMixson Avenue Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 6 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in North Charleston
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in North Charleston
Four Poles Park Dock
DirectionsScenic views in North Charleston
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in North Charleston
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in North Charleston
Four Poles Park Disc Golf CourseIn Four Poles Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in North Charleston
Whipper Barony Community GardenIn Whipper Barony Park · Whipper Barony Neighborhood Association
DirectionsWhipper Barony Community GardenIn Whipper Barony Park
DirectionsPlus 3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 13.2 miUnpaved · 16.1 mi
Wannamaker North Trail7.0 mi
Wannamaker Orange Trail4.9 mi
Yellow Trail0.8 mi
Exit Trail0.7 mi
Peach Trail0.3 mi
Pink Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
28 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
17 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
61Tennis
42Basketball
41Baseball
14Pickleball
10Football
8Tracks
6Soccer
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Charleston Navy Yard Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006
About itCharleston Navy Yard Officers' Quarters Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itCharleston Naval Hospital Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010
About itGeneral Asbestos and Rubber Company (GARCO) Main MillBuilding · listed 2017
About itEngineering-Management BuildingBuilding · listed 2020
About itHost of America MotelBuilding · listed 2020
About itMarine Barracks, Charleston Navy YardBuilding · listed 2020
About itCharleston Naval HospitalBuilding · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in North Charleston: 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) | 60 | 63 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 89 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 78 | 69 | 63 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
November is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 6.4 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Charleston →
Next door
North Charleston and its neighbors
North Charleston has the second most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston | 4% | 0.9 | 17 | 66% | B+ |
| Charleston | 14% | 0.8 | 20 | 79% | A− |
| Ladson | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | 32% | C− |
| Summerville | 6% | 0.6 | 18 | 61% | B+ |
| Hanahan | 1% | 0.8 | 7 | 86% | B |
| Goose Creek | 1% | 0.9 | 8 | 70% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Charleston
Where can I hike in North Charleston?
The longest trail networks: North Charleston Wannamaker County Park, 0.8 miles; Riverfront Park, 0.4 miles; Air Park, 0.3 miles; Park Circle, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Charleston 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 North Charleston’s trails?
North Charleston Wannamaker County Park and Riverfront Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Charleston?
28 miles of bike routes are on the map: 17 of painted or protected lanes and 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Charleston?
21,839 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Charleston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,023 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North Charleston have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 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 North Charleston 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 →