The Adventure Collective
Local. Outdoor. Adventure.
Kayak Fish the Harbor (James Island): The grassy marshland that lines the West Ashley and James Island side of Charleston harbor is rife with sea trout and red fish. A kayak’s silence and stealth allows anglers a closer approach to their prey than in a motorized craft. Focus on the mouths of small feeder creeks opening up into the harbor, or just troll an electric chicken lure behind your kayak and paddle along the grass line against the current....
Cast from the old Cooper River Bridge (Mount Pleasant): With the recent opening of the new Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park, fisherman have new access to the waters of Charleston Harbor. The remnants of the infamously narrow bridge over the Cooper River, now overshadowed by the massive Ravenel Bridge, have been repurposed as a fishing pier, and trout, redfish,...
Troll the Gulf Stream (Atlantic Ocean): Hooking and reeling in a 50+ pound fish is an incomparable thrill, especially when the experience comes after rousing yourself at 3 a.m. for a two-and-a-half hour boat ride out to warm waters of the Gulf Stream over the Continental Shelf. Trolling attracts anything from tuna to wahoo to bonita, all of which...
Reel in Giant Bass Amidst Cypress Trees (Lake Moultrie): From bass to crappie, these lakes have historically produced national record catches. The area known as the Hatchery WMA on Lake Moultrie is one of the best spots on the lake to catch a big Largemouth Bass. Fishing from the bank is an option, or launch your boat or kayak...
Surf Angling the Morris Island Lighthouse (Folly Beach): Set up shop for a day of casting into the surf right where Folly turns toward Morris Island and its iconic lighthouse rises from the waves. Fish shrimp on a popping cork or let a bottom rig sit with shrimp or mullet. Redfish and flounder are frequently caught here (as are small sharks and rays — have your pliers handy). It’s also one of the better places to try saltwater fly...
Cross the Largest Cable-Stay Bridge in the U.S. (Downtown Charleston): Forget the horse-drawn carriages: Charleston is best viewed by bicycle. Park at the Visitors’ Center on Meeting St., then head over to King St. and pedal north 1 mile to Huger St. Turn left, then turn right on Ashley Ave. Circumnavigate Hampton Park before turning into the Citadel, Charleston’s...
Escape into the Woods (Francis Marion National Forest): Drive twenty minutes north of Charleston and there’s a seemingly endless selection of sandy logging roads to explore through the pine forests of the Francis Marion. To really get out there, head up into the Hellhole Bay Wilderness, where you’re likely to share the road with a few deer and wild...
Run Into the Sunset (Folly Beach): There’s hardly a better spot near Charleston to watch the day end then from the county park at the southernmost end of Folly Beach. The final mile of sand on the island is undeveloped, and rounds off into a spit that overlooks the Stono River, Kiawah Island, Bird Key, and the Atlantic Ocean....
James Island County Park Dog Park (James Island): With its sandy beach, swimming lake, and multi-acre field surrounded by woods, James Island boasts the Taj Majal of dog parks. The park provides drinking water, hoses for cleaning and cooling off, entry and exit gates, and bags and collection cans for your pooch’s poo. Directions from Charleston: Take Hwy 17 S and bear left after the Ashley River Bridge toward Folly Beach. Pass EarthFare on your right, cross another bridge,...
Explore Fort Moultrie (Sullivan’s Island): Fort Moultrie’s legacy lives forever on the S.C. state flag—the fort’s palmetto log sides famously absorbed a barrage of British cannonballs during the Revolutionary War. Today it’s a fine place to take your four-legged friend. Dogs aren’t allowed inside the fort itself, but when leashed they’re welcome to play in the surrounding fields, which...
Kiawah Beachwalker Park (Kiawah Island): Among Charleston’s beaches, Kiawah’s Beachwalker County Park has the least restrictive dog rules. They’re allowed year-round, all day long, as long as they’re leashed. It’s also one of the Lowcountry’s most beautiful and fragile beaches. Walk to the end of Capt. Sam’s Spit for a panoramic view of the Kiawah River, the Atlantic Ocean,...
Tidal Creek Disc Golf Course (West Ashley): Charleston is home to a handful of disc golf courses, and Tidal Creek at West Ashley Park is one of the nicest. The wooded, technical course winds along marshland and includes some tight drives. Your furry pal will enjoy keeping you company, and he might come in useful if you launch a...
Paddle America’s First Canal (Moncks Corner): Old Santee Canal Park boasts an impressive museum, visitor center and a boardwalk through the swampy area along the Cooper River. They also maintain the Santee Canal, built in the late 18th century to transport crops between the uplands and Charleston. Today, the canal is a fine place to explore and escape into nature. The park rents canoes for $3 per half hour, and you’re welcome to bring your own. Leashed dogs are...
Audubon Swamp Garden (Magnolia Plantation and Gardens): By the time most visitors to Magnolia Plantation have walked the ornate gardens, navigated the topiary maze, and played in the petting zoo, they breeze by the Audubon Swamp Garden on their way out the gate. But the 60-acre swampland is a destination in itself. Over a mile of raised dikes allow as close an...
Edisto Beach State Park (Edisto Island): Perhaps S.C.’s finest coastal state park, trails at Edisto include a 1.7 mile walk to Spanish Mount, a Native American shell mound dated to 2,000 B.C. Half-mile loops circle the maritime forest and marshland, where deer, osprey, and bobcat abound. The finest hiking at Edisto may be on the beach itself, known for...
Paddle Around Crab Bank Island Preserve (Mt. Pleasant): An easy paddle out Shem Creek and around Crab Bank Island in the Charleston Harbor with great views of Fort Sumter, Ravenel Bridge, Patriot’s Point, and Sullivan’s Island. Crab Bank Island is home to thousands of nesting shorebirds and is not meant to be disturbed. In other words, it’s illegal to...
I’on Swamp Trail (Francis Marion National Forest): This easy, 2 mile loop follows the abandoned rice-field dykes along the remnants of Witheywood Plantation. The narrow causeways pass through bald cypress wetlands and swamp, providing close sightings of alligators and a multitude of migrating songbirds in the spring and fall (the rare Bachman’s warbler is known to stop here). Directions from Charleston: Take Hwy 17 N 23 miles to I’on Swamp Rd. (Forest Service 228). Take a left and continue...
Caw Caw County Park (Ravenel): Once the site of several working rice plantations carved into a cypress swamp, Caw Caw now boasts 6 miles of raised trails through the watery landscape. Alligators, deer, and otters abound, and bald eagles, kites, and a host of waterfowl are commonly present. Trailside interpretive signs explain the land’s natural and plantation history. Despite...
Loop Through a Historic Sea Island (Wadmalaw Island):Just 20 minutes from downtown Charleston, the agrarian island of Wadmalaw still exists much as it has for a century. Liberia Rd. (SC 68) allows bicyclists to ride a 9.8 mile loop, or continue down Bears Bluff Rd. another 4.3 miles to White Point Landing and the confluence of the Wadmalaw and...
Ride Between Civil War Battlefields (James Island): Not much remains of Fort Lamar on James Island, site of the Battle of Secessionville, save a few earthen mounds and an excellent views. Begin at the fort and pedal back towards Folly Rd. Take a left on Old Military Rd. and follow to Folly Rd. Turn left toward the beach. If you...
Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto Trail (Francis Marion National Forest): Revolutionary War General Francis Marion earned his “Swamp Fox” nickname by attacking British soldiers and then retreating into the wetlands and coastal pine forests. Mountain bikers can follow in his footsteps today, with the aid of raised railbeds and footbridges through the swampier segments of this 47-mile trail. Those seeking an overnight trip have five primitive campsites along the route to choose from. The Wadboo Swamp section at the...
Run the West Ashley Greenway (West Ashley): Paralleling Highway 17 but far enough away to escape the noise, this 10.5 mile hard-packed dirt path begins at the Ashley River and continues to the Stono River at John’s Island. You’ll pass through neighborhoods and parks as the route grows increasingly rural before opening up onto the marsh and the Stono....
