Find the top rated trails in Charleston, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Starting at Gahagan Road or the parking area on Ashley Drive in Summerville, you can walk or ride this flat, 10-foot wide, paved trail, which follows the Sawmill Branch Canal and through a wooded area...
Running arrow-straight from the Ashley River west to a wholesale produce stand on Wappoo Road, the West Ashley Bikeway links several suburban Charleston neighborhoods, providing a 2.5-mile cycling and...
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The Swamp Fox Trail is one of South Carolina Lowcountry's oldest trails and offers a long, flat, one-way journey through the swampy wetlands and coastal pine forests of Francis Marion National Forest....
The Edisto Nature Trail loops through a forest maintained by the Westvaco Corporation, a paper and packaging manufacturer. The main loop is 1 mile, and an inner loop adds 0.5 mile. Both sections of...
Running arrow-straight from the Ashley River west to a wholesale produce stand on Wappoo Road, the West Ashley Bikeway links several suburban Charleston neighborhoods, providing a 2.5-mile cycling and...
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The Awendaw Passage is a 7-mile single-track segment of the Palmetto Trail, which will extend more than 425 miles across South Carolina when completed. Named for the creek it follows, this scenic...
A favorite of local mountain bikers, the West Ashley Greenway takes you on a 7.8-mile (one way) ride from suburban Charleston west to the scenic Lowcountry wetlands that surround this charming city....
Starting at Gahagan Road or the parking area on Ashley Drive in Summerville, you can walk or ride this flat, 10-foot wide, paved trail, which follows the Sawmill Branch Canal and through a wooded area...
Construction of the Santee Canal began in 1793 after the American Revolution, and by 1800 the canal began its life as a shipping corridor for the region's crops to points beyond. Though much of the...
The Awendaw Passage is a 7-mile single-track segment of the Palmetto Trail, which will extend more than 425 miles across South Carolina when completed. Named for the creek it follows, this scenic...
A favorite of local mountain bikers, the West Ashley Greenway takes you on a 7.8-mile (one way) ride from suburban Charleston west to the scenic Lowcountry wetlands that surround this charming city....
The Edisto Nature Trail loops through a forest maintained by the Westvaco Corporation, a paper and packaging manufacturer. The main loop is 1 mile, and an inner loop adds 0.5 mile. Both sections of...
Running arrow-straight from the Ashley River west to a wholesale produce stand on Wappoo Road, the West Ashley Bikeway links several suburban Charleston neighborhoods, providing a 2.5-mile cycling and...
The Swamp Fox Trail is one of South Carolina Lowcountry's oldest trails and offers a long, flat, one-way journey through the swampy wetlands and coastal pine forests of Francis Marion National Forest....
Construction of the Santee Canal began in 1793 after the American Revolution, and by 1800 the canal began its life as a shipping corridor for the region's crops to points beyond. Though much of the...
Starting at Gahagan Road or the parking area on Ashley Drive in Summerville, you can walk or ride this flat, 10-foot wide, paved trail, which follows the Sawmill Branch Canal and through a wooded area...
A very nice trail. Pavement conditions were great with some places looking like it was newly paved. There was a few sections that were not paved, but they did not cause any problems (of course you wouldn't want to try them on a road bike). If you are ever in the area of Charleston, this is a must do trail. It doesn't disappoint!
We rode this trail at the same time as we rode the West Ashley Greenway. I rated it 4 stars because about the western half would rate about 3 stars because of very rough unsafe pavement. The eastern half was very nice and would rate 5 stars easy. Even with the bad conditions on the western end, it was a nice ride. Just had to be very careful of the bad pavement conditions.
This trail used to be in rough shape but it has been newly paved as of this year and work is still being done in terms of landscaping etc. I am on the trail on a daily basis and have never had any safety issues. Its a great gem in west ashley
A quick warm-up to the trail head by the ball field from the Residence Inn. 2 miles out and back. Few road crossings and intersections are inside a residential area. Very little traffic. Great scenery, flat and smooth surface. A nice surprise as I was going to try a hit downtown Charleston for a run. Glad the hotel manager made the recommendation. Enjoy this trail!!
I am a relative newbie to trail riding. My new Giant ATX did a great job pulling me over the bumps and even through the deep standing water. Next time, we will go during low tide and not after a big rain. Bring bug spray!!! All-in-All we have fun!
I have run most of the Swamp Fox and love it, but would probably make this #1 in the CHARLESTON area. It is unbelievably beautiful along the marshes and intracoastal. And it even has a section of great switchbacks and elevation gains. And depending on where you start, one of the best things about it is a great turnaround at Buck Hall with picnic tables, water and rest rooms.
The tide was mostly out this day and it hadn't rained in 4-5 days. I could see the possibility of wet areas if it has been raining a lot or really high tides. But, there are usually boards or reinforced walkways in areas where it might be wet. You should be fine near low tide (but obviously more beautiful with tides in!).
Minimal roots. Could see where bikers might have to walk some areas for one reason or another, but few. No problem for runners or hikers.
Highly recommend! This trail is what the LOWCOUNTRY is all about!!!
Note: This trail is less than 8 miles long (one way) from the trail markers on this map, not the 10.5 listed.
But other than that, it is a well maintained and easy to run on path/trail. Yes, the first few miles are paved and you cross a number of roads starting from the east. And yes, there are some less scenic sections, but you also run through absolutely beautiful lowcountry marsh/water settings. I highly recommend giving it a try.
My husband and I started to ride this trail recently, but we gave up about a half-mile in because it was too bumpy and rough for our bikes. The surroundings are lovely, but I don't recommend riding this trail unless you have thick tires and a full suspension mountain bike.
we drove to this trail a few days ago and found that it has been closed since September 2016
Ran out and back on this 6 mile section of Swamp Fox / Palmetto Trail today. Trail was in great shape and even with a hard rain a few days ago it was 95% dry. Some hard root packed areas but mostly running on a bed of pine needles. Great way to end 2016! Highly recommend!
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