Spanish Moss Trail to open new connection to downtown Beaufort. Here’s when
While this weekend may bring cold and snow, a long-awaited walk stretching from a forested Lowcountry trail to downtown Beaufort is about to become a reality.
The Spanish Moss Trail Downtown Beaufort Connector is set to open on Feb. 12, a new section that officially links the popular trail directly to Bay Street.
The new connector creates a direct, seamless route between the trail and downtown, making it easier for cyclists, walkers and runners to move between the trail system and the city’s waterfront and favored historic sites.
A grand opening event will be held at the Spanish Moss Trail’s Depot Trailhead at 11 a.m.
The Spanish Moss Trail – once little more than a vision – now draws about 100,000 trips each year and spans 10 miles, with the downtown connection being a highly anticipated segment of the trail’s expansion.
The $550,000 project adds roughly one-third of a mile of new trail along Depot Road, extending from the Depot Trailhead to Ribaut Road. The addition gives trail users direct access to Bay Street and Beaufort’s downtown waterfront.
Built along the former Magnolia Line Railroad between Yemassee and Port Royal, the trail follows a corridor first established in 1870. The railway ceased operations in 2003, but its path now winds through creeks, rivers, salt marshes and forests across Beaufort County’s landscape.
Other sections of the trail run behind quiet residential neighborhoods, creating connections through areas like Mossy Oaks and Hunter Pines that did not previously exist. Along the way, users can also reach destinations such as the Technical College of the Lowcountry, fishing areas and the Publix shopping center.
Ribaut Road still in the works
Another key section of the trail’s expansion remains in the works at Ribaut Road.
This project calls for the installation of a pedestrian- and bicyclist-controlled signal that will allow users to safely cross the four-lane Ribaut Road near Pender Brothers in Port Royal. It would be similar to the one at Robert Smalls Parkway between Neil and Salem roads in Beaufort.
Since 2015, the trail has been blocked on the north side of the busy roadway, which has a 40 mph speed limit.
Work is still ongoing, but once the signal is installed, the trail will extend south of Ribaut Road to Ritter Circle in Port Royal. The project includes 1,150 feet of new trail and will provide Port Royal residents with a new access point while connecting the trail to destinations such as Sands Beach.
To learn more about the trail, it’s pathways and access points, click here.
