Outdoor paradise in the Lowcountry: Wildlife amid the ruins of a 1790s-era plantation
.JPG "The ruins of Eldorado plantation may be found on a remote corner of the Santee Coastal Reserve. Dating from 1797, this plantation survived hurricanes and the Civil War to burn in the late 19th century. Today, an easy hiking trail takes visitors to the site and is a reminder of the refuge’s storied past.")
Your bicycle tires make a whispering and crackling sound as you pedal along a sandy, leaf-covered trail through light-dappled oak and pine forest. In the branches above, small songbirds twitter and call. On the ground in front of you, a startled squirrel explodes into an energetic run across your path and up the trunk of a moss-draped oak. The leafy tunnel through which you travel becomes brighter, and suddenly you find yourself atop a grassy causeway as miles and miles of wetland open before you. The blond grasses of former rice fields rustle and sway in the early spring breeze, and the smell of the salty Atlantic is in the air. You have come to a quiet corner of Lowcountry paradise called the Santee Coastal Reserve, and you are having second thoughts about ever going home again.
The Santee Coastal Reserve is 24,000 acres of state-owned, preserved land and an outdoor paradise for a diverse variety of wildlife — and the humans who wish to visit and share their world. The Santee Coastal Reserve was established in 1974 and is open to the hunting and non-hunting public year-round. Located near McClellanville, the reserve encompasses land and Sea Islands at the mouth of the Santee River that formerly comprised several rice plantations. The remnants of this past system remain in the form of old rice fields and upland forest that are now maintained as ideal habitats for waterfowl and other game.
The shadows of this plantation economy can be seen and experienced in the massive ruins of some of the stately homes that used to dominate the land and its people. The ruins of Eldorado Plantation can still be found at the end of a hiking trail and are preserved as an archaeological wonder of an age gone by. Massive arches and crumbling brick chimneys grace a clearing in the forest like a lost Mayan ruin. Built in 1797 and home to Revolutionary War figure Rebecca Motte, the home was a prosperous plantation that was shelled by the Union Navy during the Civil War and later burned, long after the economy it had supported had been crushed in postwar freedom.
When you visit
When you visit the Santee Coastal Reserve, you will be enthralled by natural and historic treasures. Massive, arching live oaks embrace sandy forest roads that you will find easy for driving, hiking or bicycling. A 500-foot boardwalk will take you along a blackwater slough through flooded forest, where songbirds and alligators hide. Ducks wing overhead as you cross the wide marshlands and, in the early morning distance, the boom of duck-hunting can be heard. In the 19th century, the rice fields gave way to hunting parties of wealthy northerners, including President Grover Cleveland, who traveled south to experience the bounty of the outdoors.
Today, the Santee Coastal Reserve is partially managed through hunting, and the old Santee Gun Club house is still a centerpiece of the refuge, functioning as an office and meeting place. This gilded-age building is the former home of the Collins Gun Club, whose members diligently managed the land until state ownership.
I recently visited the Santee Coastal Reserve with a group of friends, and we experienced the offerings via bicycle. Over seven miles of hiking and biking trails are open throughout the year, though some sections are closed during nesting and other seasons. We visited only for the day but enjoyed several hours of biking, exploring the trails and discovering the plantation ruins. The Santee Coastal Reserve offers camping as well as day visits, and it’s an excellent destination for birding and other annual activities, so there is little doubt I will return to explore and enjoy this incredible place more in the near future.
Getting there
Santee Coastal Reserve is located at 220 Santee Gun Club Road, McClellanville, S.C., and is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from the Beaufort area. To get there, take U.S. 17 north through Charleston and through Mt. Pleasant toward Georgetown. The Santee Coastal Reserve is located close to the crossing of the Santee River. Twelve miles north of Awendaw, turn right onto S. Santee Rd. The entrance to the Santee Coastal Reserve is on the right at 2.7 miles. From the entrance, the Santee Gun Club and most trailheads are a few miles down well-maintained sandy roads. There are no facilities, so bring plenty of water, food and bug-repellant per the season. There is no cost to enter, and the reserve is open daylight hours unless closed for scheduled hunts or conservation activities. Call (843) 546-8665 or visit the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (sc.gov) website for more information.