Spanish Moss Trail or Beaufort Rail Trail is a 4.7 mile (11,000-step) route located near Port Royal, South Carolina, USA. This route has an elevation gain of about 59 ft and is rated as easy. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App.
The Spanish Moss Trail (sometimes called Beaufort Rail Trail or Magnolia Line Trail) follows the old Port Royal Railroad that was built in 1870. The planned 13.6-mile scenic route will cross Beaufort County between Port Royal and Yemassee.
In November 2012, the first mile was completed, from Depot Road to Allison Road in Beaufort, the second oldest city in South Carolina. It crosses a beautiful swamp and several historic buildings, including the Beaufort Depot, built in 1901, which is located next to Hermitage Road at the northern end of the trail.
A year later, 2 more miles of trail were added. The extension connects perfectly with the inaugural section on Allison Road and heads south through wooded neighborhoods to end at US 21 / Ribaut Road in Port Royal. Subsequent phases have extended the road north from Depot Road, through Burton, to Roseida Road.
Construction continues, and the road has extended 4 miles from Roseida Road to Clarendon Road in the near future.
Parking and access to trails
Parking can be found along the east side of the trail at the Technical College of the Lowcountry (921 Ribaut Road). Along the southern half of the trail, there are three parking areas available: Broome Lane, Westvine Drive and Ribaut Road.
We start in the southern part of the trail, on Westvine Dr.The parking lot is large, with a fountain chairs and large oaks that provide plenty of shade. The trail is in line, very easy.Accessible to the wheelchair and the stroller.It has beautiful views towards the river and the marshes, the old Pickle Factory and Industrial Beaufort ( Train Depot) it is very clean and well preserved.
We finished walking at the crossroads with Robert Smalls Pkwy, about 4.6 miles away.