Our latest adventure led us down to the coastal plains of South Carolina, to Woods Bay State Park. A very interesting piece of nature that is home to some of the largest Carolina Bays along the coast. Carolina Bays are elliptical depressions that have formed, over a long period of time, in the earth. Besides the Bays, it hosts a wide range of habitats including, evergreen shrub bogs, marshes, sandhills, forest and a swamp. Making it the perfect habitat for a wide variety of wildlife.
There is a nature trail, as well as a boardwalk that winds through a cypress swamp. The nature trail loops around an old mill pond. The boardwalk, however, is an out and back trail. As you’ll see in some of the photos, the boardwalk only sits a few feet above the swamp and there are no rails. So, proceeding with caution is a given.
There was quite an eerie feeling in the air, as we started our adventure along the boardwalk. It was so quiet, and being early on a Sunday morning, we were the only ones there. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying the day.
Like most swamps, the water was dark and somewhat murky. It’s host to a variety of plant life, the most prominent being the bald cypress trees. Cypress trees are just so majestic and seem to give the swamp character. We came across some beautiful flowering plants as well.
Perhaps the most intriguing sight was an 8–9-foot alligator, resting in the swamp. It was roughly 50 feet from us. I had read ahead of time, that they roamed freely amongst the park, but this was the only one we encountered. We also saw an incredible amount of Golden Orb Weaver spiders. These critters are huge. A little research told me that they can eat small mammals and small birds. Yikes! Other than that, there were tree frogs, lots of birds, a few lizards and good many mudfish. And though we didn’t see any, the caretaker told us the park was home to a large amount of poisonous, as well as non-poisonous snakes.
All in all, Woods Bay State Park provided us with another fun adventure. Nature never ceases to amaze. I hope you enjoy the pictures below. Please be sure to check out my Photo Collections, where you’ll find a wide selection of photos available in a variety of printing options. Thanks, and be safe out there!
