Sometimes you can travel the world and see amazing places but then realize some of the most amazing places are near your door step. Stephanie and I are fortunate enough to live in Charleston County 15 minutes from downtown Charleston and 25 minutes to the beach. One of the most amazing places we have visited is the Ace Basin National Wildlife Refuge (Ace Basin).
Entrance to Ace Basin Park area
We took our two Boston Terriers out to the Refuge on a Sunday in October. There are 3 miles of a main hiking trail and more miles off the main trail (hiking trail description) It passes through wetlands, old rice fields within 350,000 acres of undeveloped estuaries and wetlands. At the beginning of the trail, is a fabulous old Plantation House which serves as a National Wildlife office. The Grand Oaks are world-class and by themselves worth the trip just to view and photograph.
Plantation House at Ace Basin
We spent some time photographing the house and the Grand Oaks.
Grand Oaks
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- Plantation House Side View
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- Grand Oak & Plantation House
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- Grand Oak-Ace Basin
Trail in Ace Basin
We hiked for over 4 hours and did not see one person the entire time.
Old Rice Fields
The trail passed by old rice fields and small bays. We spotted a few small alligators in the bay. The dogs wanted to get in the water and we were a little nervous about the gators.
Alex and Rascal having fun!
With absolutely no people around, we didn’t worry about the dogs running free. They had a blast as well.
Stephanie taking photos
The Ace Basin is a great place to take nature photos
Rascal after a full day!
