Lake Conestee Nature Park

2020 Hiking Post 3

Outside of Greenville, near the town of Mauldin, there is a wilderness oasis in the suburbs. I had heard about Lake Conestee Nature Park and driven by it before but I didn't realize it was so large (400 acres) with so many trails. The Swamp Rabbit Trail has a 4 mile section through this park which runs north, past the park, to connect with the section of the trail on Cleveland Street. (Be advised, there is a section that is not complete on the trail where you have to go along side traffic on Parkins Mill Rd.)

This nature park has miles of paved and unpaved trails (about 12 miles) that take you around the Reedy River and Lake Conestee. Lake Conestee was a man-made lake on the river that was built for the Conestee Mill in the early 1800s. The dam and mill are still there but everything is gated off. Looks like there is talk of renovation but we'll see if that takes off. It would be a great location.
Conestee Mill


When we visited, on a Sunday afternoon, the park was pretty busy. Connected to the nature park, is a community park with athletic fields, playgrounds, and a dog park. There were a number of people on the trails as well, but most seemed to stay on the paved trails. Also, there are enough trails in the park that you can go for awhile without seeing others. Some trails you can mountain bike on.

Lake Conestee is an interesting lake area. It seemed to be more wetlands area than lake. There were some areas of deeper water that I think some people fish in, but most of it was wetlands area. We did see a section where it looked like the river had flooded recently. We also saw a heron along the river fishing.

I was pleasantly surprised by this park. I have driven past it many times over the years and I had no idea it was there. I hope to come back to bike the Swamp Rabbit passage here (my previous post about the Swamp Rabbit Trail). Nearby is also Brewery 85, which I recently visited during their winter Toasty Farmers Market. A great idea for off-season farmers markets.

Greenville restaurant recommendations. 

Location: Lake Conestee Nature Park, 601 Fork Shoals Rd, Greenville, SC 29605, USA

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