Need some fresh air? 9 trails in Beaufort County you may not know about

The Lowcountry is an ideal place for anyone who loves the outdoors; visitors and resident alike enjoy the subtropical climate while biking, swimming, kayaking and golfing.

Both amateur and expert hikers can find many opportunities to hike in the Lowcountry, too. All a hiker needs is a pair of shoes and perhaps some company, and he or she is ready to walk through enormous oaks decorated with Spanish moss under the South Carolina sun.

Beaufort County has its fair share of trails. One of the longest trails — the Spanish Moss Trail — will eventually stretch 16 miles, connecting the Sands Beach in Port Royal to the Whale Branch River. So far, only 10 miles of the Spanish Moss Trail have been built.

But Spanish Moss isn’t the only trail in Beaufort County to offer picturesque views. Listed below are nine other trails in the county worth checking out. None of them are strenuous hikes, so even the littlest ones in the family can join.

Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve

This wildlife preserve is right next to Moss Creek in Bluffton, just off of Highway 278. The preserve has four miles of trails, where visitors can find unique plants and trees, like the pondspice plant. Keep an eye out, though: the preserve is also used for hunting, which means it’s closed to hunters from the months of October to December.

Pinckney Island

Pinckney Island is one of South Carolina’s best-kept secrets. The island is located halfway between Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, accessible on crossing over Karl Bowers Bridge. It’s a wildlife refuge, which means visitors can do some serious birdwatching at one of the island’s ponds. Pinckney Island has a rich history, too. It was once owned by an Indian trader, and then it was sold to Charles Pinckney in the 18th century. It’s easy to imagine that the island has been completely untouched by humans, though, with its abundance of flora and fauna.

Hunting Island

Hunting Island State Park is the perfect place to go if you feel like walking through Jurassic Park. With the island’s ferns, beaches, palmettos and marshes, one might expect a dinosaur to appear around the next trail bend. The island has a network of trails varying in length and difficulty, with some paths on a boardwalk and others on a natural terrain. Hunting Island tends to get the worst of the damage when hurricanes come around, so check the South Carolina State Parks website to make sure the trails are open when you visit.

Sea Pines Forest Preserve

Yes, the private residential community Sea Pines not only has golf courses and beaches, but it has a forest preserve with fairly extensive trails too. The flora in this preserve is so dense that hikers are apt to forget that a residential neighborhood is next door. Visitors should take note: non-Sea Pines residents must pay an entrance fee.

New River Linear Trail

The New River Trail in Bluffton follows the path of an old railbed of the Seaboard Air Line Railway. There are no railroad tracks on the ground now, however; only a few miles of trails are left for hikers or leisurely walkers. Because the trail was was once a railway, it’s more or less a straight shot from beginning to end. But that doesn’t mean it’s boring. The trail leads visitors through the forest, an old rice field and marshland.

Audubon Newhall Preserve

The Audubon Newhall Preserve on Hilton Head Island has about 2 miles of interconnected trail for the easy-going hiker. Visitors walk past a pocosin — which is the Indian word for bog — which was once much more common on the island. The nature reserve is operated by the Hilton Head Island Audubon Society, but it’s free to the public.

Cypress Wetlands Trail

The Cypress Wetlands in Port Royal is home to many different types of animals, like frogs, herons, hawks, turtles, lizards, snakes and even alligators. Don’t let that scare you, though. The snakes are not poisonous, and the gators tend to keep to themselves. The Cyprus Wetlands loop is short — only about half a mile long — and it’s a good option for anyone who loves wildlife.

Jarvis Creek Park

Hilton Head is home to walkways all over the island, and one of those trails surrounds the pond at the 53-acre Jarvis Creek Park. The loop around the pond extends about one mile, parts of it made of boardwalk, and parts of it paved.

Coastal Discovery Museum

The nature trail at the Coastal Discovery Museum winds through the museum’s Honey Horn property, which has historic buildings and educational boardwalks. Families with children will appreciate the how informative this particular walk is for the kids.

Fish Haul Creek Park

Fish Haul Creek Park on Hilton Head has dirt trails which take visitors from the historic Mitchelville Freedom Park through the Maritime Forest to a beach. The pathways take hikers past a saltwater marsh with an observation deck, and they also lead visitors to a pavilion with a picnic table.

This story was originally published February 4, 2018 at 11:40 PM with the headline "Need some fresh air? 9 trails in Beaufort County you may not know about."