Sea Pines Forest Preserve, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

On our South Carolina trip, we went for a hike in the Sea Pines Forest Preserve, an area that includes rice fields, swamps, lakes, and a little bit of ancient history.

The sign

We parked by the walking entrance on Greenwood Drive. The first wildlife we spotted was a bird in a nest.

Guarding home

We took the Boggy Gut Trail to the Rice Field Boardwalk. Since it had rained the night before, the path had plenty of puddles for us to walk around.

The bog isn't just off the path

The boardwalk gave nice views of the dense spring foliage. We didn't see much rice. Historically, it was grown here as part of the island's plantations.

Rice swamp

More like a rice field?

Tree with mushrooms

A bit of the Boggy Gut Marsh

More bog

We were surprised to see Spanish moss in the heart of the preserve. We assumed it was something that grew just on the civilized streets of cities and towns.

Spanish moss!

The boardwalk ended at the Bridle Trail which cuts the preserve in half.

Bridle Trail

One of the features in the area is resurrection moss. The moss is brown and dry in most conditions but becomes green and lush in wet weather. Since it rained the night before, we got to see the lush, resurrected state of the moss.

Resurrection moss

The next boardwalk took us through Vanishing Swamp. The map/pamphlet gave no explanation of the name, maybe people have vanished there?

Vanishing Swamp trail

Dark swamp waters

More of the swamp

Coming out of the swamp, we walked over to Lake Joe, one of the few lakes in the preserve.

Alas, not named after me

More of Lake Joe

Near Lake Joe is the most historic part of the park. Dating back 4,800 years, a shell ring is just barely visible. The people living here made a ring about 150 to 200 feet across with a dike of shells (oyster, clam, etc.). The purpose of the rings (there are several in the southeastern United States) is not clear. It may have been a marketplace or a place for religious rituals or civic functions. The largest rings are several football fields long with walls reaching fifteen feet tall. This ring is less impressive.

Shell ring

More of the ring

More of the shells

We started walking back to the car along the Lake Joe Trail which did have several small mounds dropped by horses that have gone through the area. I did not take any pictures.

Lake Joe Trail

Traffic near the trail!

The way back was mostly the same as the way out to the shell ring. We didn't see any wildlife; I was impressed with some huge holes in the bases of trees. 

Good spot for a geocache

This was definitely worth visiting, even in occasionally rainy weather.