"Runners will weave through wooded paths and dirt trails, while kicking up some leaves." Charleston County Parks used that line on Sept. 23 to announce Shake Your Trail Feathers, a new 5K, 10K and Kids Dash at Laurel Hill County Park on Saturday, Nov. 7. The same release asks runners to wear costumes on the course.
That one line changes the shape of the season for Carolina Park. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. The Town's Carolina Park Trunk or Treat comes the night before. Then, a week after Halloween, the costumes have a second outing on the 745-acre county park between Highway 17 North and Highway 41. The holiday that used to end on Oct. 31 now runs for nine days. The last day starts at a gate on Highway 41 that only opens for events.
Friday Night on Recreation Way
The season starts close to home. The Town of Mount Pleasant holds the Carolina Park Trunk or Treat on Friday, Oct. 30, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Carolina Park Recreation Complex soccer fields on Recreation Way. The listing promises trick-or-treating, a DJ, a photo booth and a petting zoo. Costumes are encouraged, and the concessions window will be selling food. The event page also says that by attending, you agree to let the Town post photos and recordings of you publicly and on social media. Families who keep their kids off social feeds may want to know that before Friday.
The 7 p.m. finish leaves plenty of Friday evening, and Saturday the 31st is open for regular door-to-door Halloween. A costume that lasts two nights would normally be done after that. This year it has one more Saturday.
Eight Days Later, the Costumes Go Back On
Shake Your Trail Feathers is Charleston County Parks' first race at Laurel Hill. Its release describes "high-energy fall fun with off-road adventure," a finish line with music and fall-themed treats, and views of moss-draped oaks along the course. Winners take home the fixings for a Thanksgiving feast, and every finisher gets a commemorative medal.
| Race | Start time | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Kids Dash, untimed | 8:45 a.m. | $5 |
| 5K | 9:00 a.m. | $38 |
| 10K | 9:00 a.m. | $40 |
The Kids Dash is open to children of all ages, and a parent or guardian has to be there. Runners under 15 in the 5K or 10K have to run with an adult. The race is open to runners and walkers of every level, beginners included. A child who wore a costume to the soccer fields on Oct. 30 can wear it again across a real finish line a week later.
There's one firm deadline. You can only register online at CharlestonCountyParks.com, and registration closes Wednesday, Nov. 4. There is no race-day signup. The county's event page has the direct links.
Race Day Uses a Different Gate
On a normal day, you get into Laurel Hill on foot from Park West. The county map marks the pedestrian trailhead at the Park West Recreation Complex, 1251 Park West Boulevard. The usual routine is to park at the complex and walk behind the baseball fields to the trail. The map doesn't show a public trail entrance from Carolina Park.
On Nov. 7, the Park West route is closed. The release says race attendees must use the special event entrance at 1400 Highway 41, and that "access through Park West will not be permitted for this event." For anyone whose route to the park has always gone past the ballfields, that changes the drive. Leaving Carolina Park, plan on reaching the park from the Highway 41 side instead.
Here's the race-morning checklist, based on the county's course notes:
- Register by Wednesday, Nov. 4. There's no on-site registration.
- Drive to 1400 Highway 41, not the Park West Recreation Complex.
- Arrive before 8:45 a.m. if a child is running the Kids Dash.
- Leave strollers at home. The course is a loop of natural, unimproved trail with roots, grass and some uneven ground.
- Leave dogs at home too. Pets are not allowed on the race course.
- Bring your own water bottle, as the county suggests.
- Plan for no accessible parking. An accessible port-a-let will be at the event site.
Walk the Course Before Race Day
The park isn't new. Charleston County Parks leased the property in 2011 and opened its trails to the public in January 2015. What's new is a reason to learn its trails on purpose. Any weekend between now and Nov. 7 works for a practice walk or run, and normal days have their own rules.
Laurel Hill is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Admission is $1 per person, and Gold Pass members and children 2 and under get in free. There are no restrooms or trash cans, so plan ahead and carry out whatever you bring in. Dogs are welcome on scouting days if they're leashed, under control and cleaned up after. They're only banned from the race course on Nov. 7.
The official map color-codes six loops:
- White: 0.5 mile
- Blue: 1.4 miles
- Green: 1.3 miles
- Yellow: 1.7 miles
- Orange: 2.2 miles
- Red: 4.8 miles
From the Park West trailhead, the map puts the Oak Allee 1 mile in and the lake 1.1 miles in. The allée leads to the site of the old plantation house. Out in the meadow is the headstone of John Dietrich Muller Jr. Those oaks are almost certainly the "moss-draped oaks" in the race release. A 2022 Moultrie News park feature also points out picnic benches in the meadow and shade along the allée, which makes a good spot to stop on a practice walk.
The park also has birding, fishing, mountain biking, picnic tables and a Compass Course for practicing compass navigation and orienteering. Freshwater fishing is allowed in some parts of the park. Fishing in the tidal creeks requires a valid saltwater license, and swimming and wading are not allowed anywhere.
Faison Road Covers Both Ends
Both weekends end close to the neighborhood. Steel City Pizza opened at 401 Faison Road on April 23 with an outdoor patio, a full bar and its full menu. It's open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and offers online ordering. On Trunk or Treat night, that leaves three hours after the 7 p.m. finish for a pizza.
Next door, Mezcal is at 405 Faison Road, Suite 101. The menu is built on owner Juan Torres's mother's recipes from Oaxaca, and the bar serves a long list of cocktails. Mezcal opens at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday, so a Nov. 7 race finish and a late lunch fit into the same Saturday.
The Weekends on Either Side
The stretch from Trunk or Treat to the race sits inside a busier north-end calendar. The 39th Annual Mount Pleasant Children's Day Festival is free and runs noon to 5 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the Park West Recreation Complex. The Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch is open Fridays through Sundays until Nov. 1 at 2434 N. Hwy. 17. For its 30th year it added an LED mini-golf course and an extra mile on the Halloween tractor tour. After the race comes the new Merry Makers Market on Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Park West Recreation Complex, with local farmers, makers, bakers, artists and food vendors.
On the morning of Nov. 22, Park West's recreation complex is back to normal. On Nov. 7, the only way into Laurel Hill is the gate at 1400 Highway 41.
If you're signing up for the 5K and your house is also on your mind this fall, Kristy Mac at Living Charleston Realty can tell you how Carolina Park homes are pricing right now. You can get an instant home valuation before race day and have the number in hand by Thanksgiving.
