Sea Pines Forest Preserve

The Sea Pines Forest Preserve is the wild heart of Hilton Head's most famous resort community and one of the best places on the island to see what the Lowcountry looked like before the golf courses. It covers 605 acres in the middle of Sea Pines, set aside by the resort's founders as a permanent preserve, and its walking trails, first laid out in the early 1970s, wind through maritime forest, past freshwater lakes and across boardwalks over swamp and marsh. Highlights are easy to find with a trail map. The wetland boardwalk at the Old Lawton Rice Field looks out over former plantation rice fields that now teem with wading birds. A boardwalk carries you through the Vanishing Swamp, a seasonal wetland that fills and dries with the rain. And deep in the woods sits the Sea Pines Shell Ring, a ring of oyster shells and other refuse left by Native Americans around 4,000 years ago and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of a series of such rings along the Southeast coast whose exact purpose archaeologists still debate. Wildlife is the other draw: alligators bask on the banks of the lakes, herons and egrets stalk the shallows, turtles sun themselves on logs, and in spring the Warner W. Plahs Wildflower Field blooms beside one of the lakes. The preserve is open sunrise to sunset, and there is no separate admission, but day visitors pay the Sea Pines per-vehicle gate fee. Bikes must be parked at designated spots, since the walking trails are for walkers only. Guided wagon, boat and horseback outings are offered by resort operators, and fishing in the stocked lakes requires a permit.

The preserve tells the story of the land in layers. The shell ring is the oldest human mark on this part of the island, from a time when the coast's first peoples gathered, feasted and lived around these circular middens. The rice fields and their old dikes speak of the plantation era, when enslaved people of West African descent, many of them ancestors of today's Gullah community, turned the tidal wetlands into rice fields using skills brought from Africa. And the preserve itself is a product of the resort age, when Charles Fraser and his partners decided that a great resort needed protected wild land at its center. Signs along the trails point out these chapters, and the combination makes for a satisfying walk for history lovers as well as nature fans.

Visiting is straightforward. There are several trailheads and small parking areas off the main Sea Pines roads; pick up a trail map or use the resort's online map, and choose a loop that fits your time. Most trails are flat and shaded, and the boardwalks make some sections accessible. Bring insect repellent from spring through autumn, and water in the heat. Alligators are common and can move quickly; keep a generous distance, never feed them, and keep children and pets close. Swimming, smoking and open fires are prohibited. Cooler months, including November, are the most comfortable time to walk, with fewer insects and good birding as migrants pass through.

Combine it with the rest of Sea Pines for a full day. Walk the preserve in the morning when wildlife is most active, cycle to Harbour Town for lunch and the lighthouse climb, and finish at the Sea Pines Beach Club or along South Beach. Families can add a guided wagon ride or horseback trail ride through the woods, and keen anglers can arrange a permit for the stocked lakes. Because the gate fee covers the whole community for the day, it makes sense to bundle the preserve with Harbour Town rather than visiting each separately.