Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY 4.0Few parks or trails are on the map in Charleston
14% of Charleston’s land is conserved, about 3,356 acres. 128 acres are parks and preserves, 137 per 1,000 residents. 10 miles of mapped trail cross Charleston, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
3,356 conserved acres
14% of Charleston’s land. Who manages Charleston’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,219 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 60 of 127 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 126 | Unknown |
| Pensioner Pond Access State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Open |
| Clyde River Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 2 | Open |
12 places to go in Charleston
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
7 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Charleston: May and September
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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 27 | 36 | 50 | 64 | 72 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 54 | 41 | 30 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.0 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Charleston →
Charleston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brighton | 39% | 0.9 | 4,891 | 34% | A |
| Morgan | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Derby | 4% | 0.5 | 206 | 30% | B+ |
| Westmore | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Charleston
Is there public land near Charleston?
31,878 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charleston or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 138 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Charleston neighbors.
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 →