Trail Talk at Altamaha Town Heritage Preserve: Land Preservation Nature Program

A 2-hour guided walk that focuses on the different environments in Beaufort County, and the wildlife that inhabits them.

Altamaha Town Heritage Preserve, Old Bailey's Road, Okatie, SC

Altamaha Town Heritage Preserve

Location: Old Bailey's Road off of Okatie Highway (Hwy 170), Okaite, SC

Open Hours: Dawn to Dusk

Activities: Picnicking, Hiking, Wildlife Viewing

Amenities: Parking, Picnic Tables, Benches, Nature Trail

Trail: 0.5 mile one way 10-foot wide earthen trail from parking lot to the scenic view

Restrictions: Dogs on leash

Events/Business Use: Contact the County Land Preservation Department for more information (https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/land-preservation/about.html)

This 100-acre oak-hickory forest gem along the Okatie and Colleton Rivers was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 and co-purchased by the County and State in 2004 to preserve the beauty of the forest as well as the historical remnants of a Yamassee village and Colonial-era cemetery.

Named for a Yamassee Chief, the preserve protects the main town of the Lower Yamassee. The preserve's greatest attribute is its ability to provide archaeological data that has direct bearing on interpretation of the effects of European contact on Native Americans. Imprtant questions regarding the effects of accultration and migration upon late 17th and early 18th Century Native American life can be answered from data resting just beneath the ground.

The SC DNR Heritage Trust Program has a wealth of property history located on their website at: (https://storymaps.arcigs.com/collections/659e0f59c8164133a4e62b391e678a88?item=11)

Accessibilty Highlights:

Gravel parking area
10-food wide flat earthen trail
Accessible picnic table at the end of trail
Contact the Land Preservation Department for reservation of an all-terrain wheelchair (https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/land-preservation/policies-and-rentals.html)