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+1 Sue, if you're not familiar with the tides, either read up on kayaking with the tides or go with a guide once or twice. Nothing like being 20 miles from your car and grounded lol...
I have that book. Signed by Ralph no less but mine is spiral bound and has a different cover. I got it from him in 2004 so I guess it's been through some changes.
PAinSC, are you looking to go specifically with a guide or just go on your own? There's kayak tours all over these days it seems. Coastal Expeditions in Mt P runs tours and they're good people. Not just a guy with a kayak, but naturalists to help you understand the wetter part of the lowcountry.
If you just want to go on your own, there are put-in spots close to you no matter where you are. Swamps are great but be aware of the likely hood of being close to gators and snakes. If that's not your cup of tea, I'd look for waters where you'll find dolphins. Shem Creek is in Mt P is very popular. Sparkleberry Swamp is over that way too.
The tides are easy to deal with because they're predictable. Here's my favorite tide site: Tides for Fort Sumter
That link is set to show Ft Sumpter but if you click on "south carolina tides" at the top, you'll find links to all the tidal stations along the coast. It's a great resource.
There is the East Coast Paddlesports festival coming up next weekend and if you're interested in knowing more about kayaking the lowcountry you shouldn't miss it. It free to just walk around it but for $10 you get to try out any of the boats there and there are more boats than you can imagine.
There's a trip to Rimini Swamp this Sunday with the Sierra Club but I think it's pretty booked up. Possible rain so spots might open up. I'm slated to go on that one but I'm watching the weather. Rimini is a place where you can get lost so it's good to go with someone who knows it.
I have a feeling this post is getting too long....
I have that book. Signed by Ralph no less but mine is spiral bound and has a different cover. I got it from him in 2004 so I guess it's been through some changes.
PAinSC, are you looking to go specifically with a guide or just go on your own? There's kayak tours all over these days it seems. Coastal Expeditions in Mt P runs tours and they're good people. Not just a guy with a kayak, but naturalists to help you understand the wetter part of the lowcountry.
If you just want to go on your own, there are put-in spots close to you no matter where you are. Swamps are great but be aware of the likely hood of being close to gators and snakes. If that's not your cup of tea, I'd look for waters where you'll find dolphins. Shem Creek is in Mt P is very popular. Sparkleberry Swamp is over that way too.
The tides are easy to deal with because they're predictable. Here's my favorite tide site: Tides for Fort Sumter
That link is set to show Ft Sumpter but if you click on "south carolina tides" at the top, you'll find links to all the tidal stations along the coast. It's a great resource.
There is the East Coast Paddlesports festival coming up next weekend and if you're interested in knowing more about kayaking the lowcountry you shouldn't miss it. It free to just walk around it but for $10 you get to try out any of the boats there and there are more boats than you can imagine.
There's a trip to Rimini Swamp this Sunday with the Sierra Club but I think it's pretty booked up. Possible rain so spots might open up. I'm slated to go on that one but I'm watching the weather. Rimini is a place where you can get lost so it's good to go with someone who knows it.
I have a feeling this post is getting too long....
Thanks for all this info!
We are actually going with a tour tomorrow but we are thinking about buying our own kayaks. That's a good idea about checking out the festival.
Just wanted to say that I highly recommend Nature Adventures Outfitters for kayaking. We did the Wambaw Swamp tour through Francis Marion National Forest and it was so peaceful and beautiful. Our guide was great and we even saw a huge alligator basking in the sun as we rounded a corner. It was awesome! We will definitely use them again.
Just wanted to say that I highly recommend Nature Adventures Outfitters for kayaking. We did the Wambaw Swamp tour through Francis Marion National Forest and it was so peaceful and beautiful. Our guide was great and we even saw a huge alligator basking in the sun as we rounded a corner. It was awesome! We will definitely use them again.
We actually just did a 2 hour tour. We haven't kayaked since doing a tour in Maui back in 2010, so we are just getting back into the sport to see if we like it. For a 2 or 2.5 hour tour, it's $39pp but locals can save $3pp. The pricing is on their website a few posts back.
We enjoy the ease of going out of Shem Creek. And it's exciting being down flat on the water as you start out with shrimpers or pleasure boats around. Unfortunately, the current dredging is a bit of a hassle. But going out Shem Creek you can circle Crab Bank where the birds in sancutary are screaming & intimidatingly pterodactyl size up close! Sometimes dolphin will swim next to you -- so hold tight to your paddle & wait it out. And do go to the right when heading toward the harbor so you can snake through Bayview & then hug the golf course shore. Fun trip!
Just wanted to say that I highly recommend Nature Adventures Outfitters for kayaking. We did the Wambaw Swamp tour through Francis Marion National Forest and it was so peaceful and beautiful. Our guide was great and we even saw a huge alligator basking in the sun as we rounded a corner. It was awesome! We will definitely use them again.
Glad you got out yesterday (great weather!) and had a good trip. Kayaking is a fantastic way to see the lowcountry. Don't miss the kayak festival at the James Island Park. I might go on Saturday morning but there's a Sol Driven Train concert there on Friday evening which should be a good time too.
We enjoy the ease of going out of Shem Creek. And it's exciting being down flat on the water as you start out with shrimpers or pleasure boats around. Unfortunately, the current dredging is a bit of a hassle. But going out Shem Creek you can circle Crab Bank where the birds in sancutary are screaming & intimidatingly pterodactyl size up close! Sometimes dolphin will swim next to you -- so hold tight to your paddle & wait it out. And do go to the right when heading toward the harbor so you can snake through Bayview & then hug the golf course shore. Fun trip!
Shem Creek and out around Crab Bank/Castle Pinkney is a good trip. Is the dredging in full swing? From the James Island side I see all the equipment out there but not much activity.
A similar trip is on the back side of Folly to Bird Key. That's another nesting site for Pelicans, Herons, Egrets and others. Rules are that it's closed from March 15 to Oct 15 so as not to disturb the nesting birds. Same for Crab Bank. The rest of the year, they're only open below the high tide line. Both places are good for dolphins.
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