The Spanish Moss Trail (sometimes referred to as the Beaufort Rail Trail or the Magnolia Line Trail) follows the former Port Royal Railroad that was constructed in 1870. The planned 13.6-mile scenic pathway will run through Beaufort County between Port Royal and Yemassee.
In November 2012, the first mile was completed, from Depot Road to Allison Road in Beaufort, the second-oldest city in South Carolina. It runs through a beautiful marsh and by several historical buildings, including the Beaufort Depot, built in 1901, which sits off Hermitage Road at the trail's northern end.
A year later, 2 more miles of trail were added. The extension seamlessly connects with the inaugural section at Allison Road and heads south through tree-lined neighborhoods to end at US 21/Ribaut Road in Port Royal. Subsequent phases have extended the trail north from Depot Road, through Burton, to Roseida Road.
Construction continues, and the trail is anticipated to extend another 4 miles from Roseida Road to Clarendon Road in the near future.
Parking can be found along the trail's eastern side at Technical College of the Lowcountry (921 Ribaut Road). Along the southern half of the trail, three parking areas are available: at Broome Lane, Westvine Drive and Ribaut Road.
First, the trail is actually 9.25 miles long, 18.5 round trip.
Waterways and wooded marshland for the most part, sometimes you can see dolphins. I ride here weekly and always enjoy it.
We live in charleston and decided to day trip to Beaufort for this trail. It's a beautiful trail. It's wide all cement for at least 8+ miles, one way, and well maintained. Lots of people cycling, walking, kids, rollers skating on the trail. It has an option to get off and detour to Bay Street ( main tourist road in Beaufort). We parked at the parking lot off roseida road. I thought that was the beginning of the trail but it appears a new addition has been added going north( away from downtown). I would def recommend to anyone looking to cycle the city and get some exercise doing so. Have fun!
The trail currently runs about 9.5 miles, from mile marker 2 in Port Royal to the newest parking lot across from the MCAS at mile marker 11.5. I biked the full out-and-back 19 miles in about 2.5 hours; there a few one or two mile uninterrupted sections, but highway and road crossings are fairly common. The highway crossings all have crosswalks, but the crossing near Laurel Bay is oddly marked and can be confusing from the West side.
This is a decent trail mostly flat and incomplete on both ends...yes there are some scenic views along with some "eye sores"...
Each morning, my husband and I enjoy the 20+ mile (round trip) from Port Royal area to the Burton area, which extends now well beyond the MCAS. We love cheering on the F-35 fighter jets ocassionally, while they practice overhead! We call those "The Freedom Days". The small bridge has been constructed to maneuver you around to the stoplight at the MCAS, and it is beautiful, amazing craftsmanship. Can't wait to discover the next phase of our Lowcountry trail. Thank you!!
The SMT is beautiful and a total pleasure to ride. Scenic views at every point in the trail. You couldn't ask for a nicer and safer place to ride.
Beautiful paved trail over re-claimed rail bed. It is used actively by the locals for exercise and shortcuts to work and school. The main shortcoming is the lack of rest room facilities.
The trail still has some unfinished sections so if you're on thin tires you'll have to take the surface streets. All the breaks can be navigated with a trail bike. Lots of scenery. The finished portions are wide and well marked. It's all flat but still a fun ride.
We traversed approximately 3 miles today. Beautiful walk.
While vacationing in Beaufort, South Carolina, we sought out the newly constructed bike trail. It was not easy to find the trailhead, although a few local residents gave us directions.The trail runs through a beautifully restored depot and heads in a southwest direction for approximately 3 miles. The trail follows along serene marshes, historic buildings and quiet neighborhoods. Although the trail is short at this time, it is the nicest trail I have ever biked on. The signage along the trail is excellent, there are several benches overlooking scenic views and the trail is very wide. We saw several people using the trail - many people walking as well as casual cyclists. I am very excited to return to Beaufort and ride on their trail again.
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