In March 2020, as the world was shutting down, Charleston area residents were presented with a new 85.5-acre park to enjoy. Stono River County Park, originally intended for single-family residential development, was transformed into a public park through careful planning and an actionable master plan. The park is designed to connect a number of existing and planned trails and greenways, including the West Ashley Greenway, which is approximately 2,000 feet from the park, and the Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail, which skirts the park’s marsh islands along the Stono River. Highlighting the park as a “break along the trail” offers users additional passive activities such as camping, picnicking, exploring, and interpretive signage. The park is composed of 25.3 acres of highland, 48 acres of marsh that adjoins the Stono River, and a 12.2-acre marsh island with scenic views. It offers incredible views and ample space for visitors to stretch their legs while keeping a safe distance from others.

One of the first steps during the planning efforts was to establish a vision statement and design goals that would help lead the team through the master plan process all the way through design and construction. The landscape architect facilitated meetings with the Owner and Steering Committee to create these guiding principles:

• Provide trailheads and safe, sustainable connections to trails (both water and land);

• Preserve and enhance existing vegetation and wildlife habitat;

• Provide passive recreation opportunities focusing on the ecology of the mainland and the islands;

• Plan site features to the human scale, to complement nature based passive recreation and resource management considerations;

• Integrate program elements typical of other regional park facilities;

• Provide facilities that do not necessarily require staffing;

• Consider noise and visual impacts to neighboring properties;

• Master Plan the site following Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines and principles.

Stono River County Park features a network of greenways, trails, and boardwalks within the park and beyond the property boundaries. This system allows visitors to experience the natural beauty, vistas, and unique characteristics of the area. The West Ashley Greenway currently terminates at +/- 2,000 linear feet to the northeast of the park entrance along McLeod Mill Road. The implemented design extended the Greenway from its current terminus within the public right-of-way and creating a new terminus/trail head within the Stono River County Park.

In addition to the trails and boardwalks provided for patrons to explore the park, additional passive recreation opportunities have been incorporated for other nature-based activities that focus on the ecology of the mainland, marsh, and marsh islands. The Stono River is a designated water trail as part of the Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail. This trail connects to various waterways that can link a traveler to destinations around James Island, Wadmalaw Island, Johns Island, West Ashley, Edisto Island, and other coastal communities along the Intercoastal Waterway. Stono River County Park is a destination stop along the way for kayakers, canoers, and others with “human-powered” water vessels. Programming for the park will offer primitive camping, crabbing, and fishing opportunities, a trail system with overlooks, and supporting amenities.

The development of Stono River County Park was sensitive to the natural environments and existing neighborhoods. The design incorporated a thoughtful and sustainable approach for park development and conservation. The process and format utilized for Stono River County Park created an approach as a working template for the Owner for all future park master plans and development.

The team paid careful attention to the natural and cultural resources as it pertained to access and develop the property. A land use plan was developed to guide our evaluation of the park site. This plan indicated correct stewardship zones that designated how the site should be treated and developed. These designations helped identify appropriate levels of public access, development, maintenance, and ongoing land management practices. The park’s construction was designed to minimize environmental impact and preserve the natural beauty of the area. The park offers visitors a chance to experience the natural beauty of the area while preserving the environment for future generations.