Biking the Palmetto Trail around Lake Moultrie, Russelville, SC

 

• Date Biked:  June 3, 2021 and June 6, 2021
• Posted Mileage  26.7
• Total miles Tracked: 17.2 miles and 15.6 miles
• Type of Trail:  gravel and grass, much of it on dikes
• Conveniences:   Nada
• Best Features:   Great views
• Worst Features:   Rugged terrain and bare minimum signage
• Wildlife spotted:  Gators, herons, turtles, crayfish! (keep reading)
• Vegetation: Pines, cypress, miles and miles of swampy vegetation
• Associated Website:  Map – Palmetto Conservation Foundation
• Primary Author: James

In our last post, we kayaked at Lake Moultrie, heading to a tupelo swamp for one of our most memorable paddling adventures to date. But, Lake Moultrie turns out to offer just as much adventure on land as on water, since the dikes and logging roads around the east and north shores are part of the Palmetto Trail, a statewide trail that spans South Carolina all the way from the coast to the mountains.

Ominous gray skies will be a recurring backdrop in many of these photos.

We devoted two days of biking to exploring this trail and didn't see it all. We also didn't see any other bikers or hikers the whole time we were riding, probably because thunderstorms were rolling through the area both days. But, I get the sense that this trail isn't used much even in good weather. For most of the journey you're riding on a dike that runs around the lake. The dike is flat and straight and offers some stunning views of the bordering swamps full of lilies, lotuses, and alligators. Alas, it's a little difficult to appreciate these views since you spend a lot of the ride avoiding potholes and making sure you don't bounce over the steep slopes of the dike! 

Since the trail is surrounded by alligator habitat, sticking to the center of the path is a good strategy. 

On the first day, we started at the Amos Gourdine Boat Ramp. We rode south toward Bonneau. The trail begins with a locked closed gate and a keep out sign, but there is a tiny marker saying it's the Palmetto Trail, so we lifted our bikes over the gate and pressed forward. The ride to Bonneau is pretty easy. The gravel road is a bit rough, but its free of grass and the rest of the gates you encounter are easier to get around than the first one. The trail ends on a residential street in Bonneau... though, actually, it doesn't end there. In theory, you can keep riding forward, pick up the trail on the other side of the small town, and continue on to the Swamp Fox Passage. Alas, there were no signs we could find marking the way forward, and with the storms situation only getting worse we turned back. In retrospect, if we'd pushed forward we could easily made it to the Watermark Bar and Grill and waited out the storms on their deck with a cold beverage, but that will be a goal for another ride. 

The best journeys begin with a "Do Not Enter" sign.

This is as big as the trail signs get!

The second day, we parked at a small parking lot adjacent to the lake's spillway on Highway 35. Cells of storms were again rolling through the area, but we thought we might have a window to get in a few hours of good riding. I'm happy to say we did get in some good riding--it was an astonishingly wet ride through torrential downpours--but still good. 

The ride got so wet that creatures you normally only find in water were sharing the trail with us! Look, if you encounter crayfish crossing the trail, it's wet. We also encountered a soft shelled turtle, very rare to find on land, which had gotten stuck in some construction along the side of the trail. We freed it an sent it on its way. 

Don't fence me in!

A prehistoric looking critter!

This crayfish didn't take kindly to our presence on its trail!

The ride the second day was much more rugged than the ride the first day. The dikes are mostly covered in grass, so it's slow going. Once you reach the logging roads, the going is marginally easier. Your reward for tackling the rough terrain is gorgeous scenery and plenty of wildlife. The rain kept us from getting out the zoom lens much, but on a dry day this would be a birdwatcher's paradise. Alligators were abundant in the water beside the raised dikes, camouflaged among the lilies but easy to spot once you learned what to look for. 

Peekaboo!

Eventually, the bad weather forced us to turn back. We reached our cars about as coated in mud as we'd ever been. Our bikes were a complete mess. We would have travelled further and take more pictures if it hadn't been raining, but don't regret pressing forward as far as we did. Who knows, maybe we saved that turtle's life. You don't get memories like that if you're afraid of a little rain. 

A satisfied customer!

Why pay a spa for a mud bath when nature provides them free of charge? 

Though what you save in spa fees gets taken back in car washes...