Daniel Island's Trails Close a Segment at a Time, and the Holidays Fall in the Gaps

Which part of the trail is torn up this morning? For most of November and into December, the answer on Daniel Island changes every day or two. The Daniel Island Property Owners' Association has two contractors resurfacing the island's walking network this season. The schedule is easy to miss: the work stops completely on the days the island fills with family, then picks up again in the weeks between.

If you know which phase lines up with which week, a daily walk, a Saturday race or a stroll to the tree lighting stays simple. If you don't, you could end up halfway around a pond loop facing a row of cones.

A Day of Milling, a Day of Paving

The asphalt crew isn't closing the trails for weeks at a time. The POA's trail improvements notice says the contractor grinds off, or "mills," the old asphalt on one segment, then paves it the next day while milling the segment ahead. Each section is closed for a day or two.

The milled stretches cause the most trouble. The POA warns that milled trail is rough and uneven, and asks that it be treated as a work zone even when no equipment is in sight. Fresh asphalt also stays soft for a while, so the association asks everyone to stay outside the cones and barricades until they come down.

The asphalt crew works Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays are off. The work pauses for Thanksgiving, November 26 through 29, and for Christmas, December 24 through 27, and again for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. In the POA's words, "Every trail will be open during the holidays so you can enjoy them with family in town." The full project is expected to finish by mid-December, weather permitting.

The Island in Four Phases

The asphalt work moves through the island in a planned order. Here is that order next to everything else on the calendar:

Phase 1 is scheduled to end Monday, November 16, and Phase 2 moves into the island's center starting Tuesday, November 17. Phase 2 covers the trails that link Seven Farms Drive to Grand Council and run past Pierce, Oak Overhang, Smythe, Blakeway and Barfield, plus the Daniel Island Drive stretch. It runs through Wednesday, November 25, the day before the Thanksgiving break.

The River Trail Runs on Its Own Clock

The Wando River Trail is a separate job with a separate contractor and a different method. This crew breaks up the old, hardened surface on the northern Wando River Trails, above Waterfront Park and behind the tennis center and the Daniel Island Recreation Center, then tops it with fresh material for a smoother finish.

This crew works weekdays only, so the river trail stays open in the evenings and on weekends. The POA laid the job out in three stretches:

1. Under the I-526 bridge and along the river, starting November 2, for roughly four to six days.
2. A short section on the riverside of the tennis center, scheduled for about one day.
3. The longest piece, from Seven Farms Drive around the pond and behind the stadium, starting November 11 and running four to six days. Materials are staged in a coned area off Seven Farms Drive and are not left out over the weekend.

The river trail is scheduled to finish in the third week of November, just before Thanksgiving, weather permitting.

A Saturday Race in the Middle of Phase 2

The Daniel Island Happy Hour 3-Mile Turkey Trot is in its second year. It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, November 21, at the Credit One gravel lot, 161 Seven Farms Drive. The course runs three miles along the Daniel Island trails and finishes where it started. Entry is free, and registration closes Friday, November 20, at 11 a.m.

The asphalt crew works Saturdays, and Phase 2 runs through the center of the island that week. The POA asks everyone to stay outside coned and barricaded areas and to treat milled trail as a work zone, and that applies on race morning too.

The race supports East Cooper Community Outreach, known as ECCO, and collects food for families in need this holiday season. The organizers say last year's donations filled two truck beds. The first 80 participants who bring items from ECCO's Most Needed List get a free Turkey Trot T-shirt while supplies last. Afterward, the party moves down the road to LIDI Restaurant, where each registered participant gets one complimentary mimosa or beer.

Thanksgiving Weekend, With Everything Open

From Thursday, November 26, through Sunday, November 29, the asphalt crew is off and every trail on the island is open. By then, if the schedule holds, the northern trails, the central trails and the Wando River Trail will all have new surfaces. Visiting family will have the most finished trail network of the fall on its busiest walking weekend.

The crews come back Monday, November 30, which is also the deadline for the Angel Tree drive run by the Daniel Island Community Foundation and HALOS. Unwrapped gifts are due at the POA office by that day. For anyone who misses it, the POA's announcement lists more drop-off windows at Motley Rice in Mount Pleasant on December 1, and at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston on December 6 and 7.

December Moves Into the Parks

Phase 3 runs November 30 through December 4 and covers Pierce Park, Smythe Park, and the trail around the Waverly and Village ponds. These are short, popular loops, and each will close briefly while the crew mills and repaves it.

The last scheduled day of that phase is Friday, December 4, which is also a busy evening on Seven Farms Drive:

• Daniel Island Tree Lighting at Credit One Stadium. Gates open at 6 p.m., the tree is lit at 7 p.m., and the stadium's events page lists it as free to attend.
• Annual Holiday Classic at LTP Daniel Island, 161 Seven Farms Drive, December 4 through 6. It is presented by Safelite and benefits MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. The USTA listing shows entries open through November 29 at 5:59 p.m. Eastern.

Phase 4 starts December 7 and runs through December 14. It covers the residential connectors around Smythe, Wando, Willtown, Juliana, Gatewood and Village Crossing, the short paths many people use to get from their street to the main loops. When it's done, the project should be finished by mid-December, ahead of the Christmas break from December 24 to 27. The POA says it will share any significant schedule changes by email and on its website. Questions go to [email protected] or 843-971-9200.

The Street-Level Work Runs Into 2027

Two more projects on Seven Farms Drive are aimed at people on foot. One is a short job, and the other lasts well past the trail work.

The first is a new crosswalk at Pier View Street and Seven Farms Drive, connecting Pier View to Bucksley Lane, between the buildings that house Blondies Bagels & Cafe and Mac's Daniel Island. The Daniel Island News reported that Charleston City Councilman Boyd Gregg announced flashing crosswalk beacons and curb extensions there, similar to the crosswalk on Seven Farms Drive between Credit One Stadium and the Publix shopping center. The curb extensions widen the sidewalk at each corner, which helps drivers see pedestrians and shortens the walk across the street. The work was expected to take three to four weeks from early November, mostly during weekday business hours, with safety barrels blocking nearby parking spaces.

The second is the roundabout at Seven Farms Drive and River Landing Drive. Berkeley County Council awarded Blythe Development LLC a $2,569,097.76 contract on July 27, 2026. The contract covers the roundabout, landscaping and pedestrian beacons. In August, The Daniel Island News reported that City and County officials expected the roundabout to improve traffic flow and safety at a signalized intersection that backs up during rush hours and carries heavy commuter, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The right-turn lanes at each corner have been blocked off while crews break up the asphalt, and the paper reports work will continue through the winter, with completion expected in the first half of 2027. The City of Charleston's road closure dashboard lists the River Landing Drive closure from October 2, 2026, through March 31, 2027.

For anyone walking or running to Waterfront Park this winter, the new trail surfaces will be done before the intersection by the park is.

Daniel Island changes like this all year, one segment and one crosswalk at a time, and Gus Bright follows those changes for owners who are here full time and for those who visit when they can. If you own on the island and want a local contact who knows what is open, what is coned off and what is coming next, Gus Bright is glad to help. Schedule a private consultation.