The Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail, Beaufort County and the City of Beaufort will host a grand opening to celebrate two important milestones on Thursday, February 12 at 11:00am inside the iconic Depot Building at the Spanish Moss Trail Depot Trailhead.
First, the opening of the Spanish Moss Trail’s Downtown Beaufort Connector and second, the opening of the new national designation of becoming a Kids in Parks TRACK Trail.
“The new Downtown Beaufort Connector will formally link the County-owned Spanish Moss
Trail to Beaufort’s historic Bay Street,” said Dean Moss, Volunteer Executive Director of the
Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail.
“With more than 100,000 people enjoying the Spanish Moss Trail each year, we expect this new wide path to be very popular and allow Trail users and downtown Beaufort patrons to easily move between these two important areas.”
The new connector creates a direct and seamless route between the Spanish Moss Trail and downtown Beaufort which makes it easier for cyclists and walking enthusiasts to get to the downtown waterfront.
This Downtown Beaufort Connector is within the City of Beaufort and was constructed by
Beaufort County with funding from both entities. It starts at the Trail’s Depot Trailhead, goes down Depot Road, and crosses pedestrians and cyclists at the light on Ribaut Road onto Bay Street.
“We are also looking forward to celebrating becoming a Kids in Parks TRACK Trail,” said Moss.
“We are grateful for our partnership with the City of Beaufort to make this area so dynamic for children.”
Kids in Parks is a nation-wide designation by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and funded in South Carolina by the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation.
This Spanish Moss Trail TRACK Trail will start at the Depot Trailhead, with a large kiosk and children’s activity brochures, and extend along the Trail toward Port Royal for about a mile.
Starting at this popular Depot Trailhead, families and school groups can also enjoy the
StoryWalk provided by the Friends of the Beaufort Library and Beaufort County Library, grab a book at the new mini library for children created by student artist E Achurch, and skip through the Depot Building to start their adventure towards the Mather Trestle fishing pier,” said Sissy Perryman, Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail Director of Advancement.
Kids in Parks began on the Blue Ridge Parkway, developed by the Blue Ridge Parkway
Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of
North Carolina Foundation. As the program demonstrated easy implementation and
effectiveness in getting children outdoors, Kids in Parks has rapidly expanded to other parks and public lands across the country.
According to the website, the Spanish Moss Trail draws about 100,000 visits each year and is over 10 miles long. Built on the old Magnolia Line Railaroad from Yemassee and Port Royal, it was first established back in 1870, with the railroad officially ceasing its operations back in 2003.
Also, there will soon be another extension of the trail in Port Royal. A signal is being installed on Ribaut Road for traffic stops when a walker or cyclist is crossing the road. This will extend to Ritter Circle in Port Royal, and will allow walkers and riders to have access to the town of Port Royal and other destinations including the Sands and the Cypress Wetlands.
To learn more about the Spanish Moss Trail visit SpanishMossTrail.com
To learn more about TRACK Trails visit KidsinParks.com.
READ: Spanish Moss Trail named BEST hiking trail in all of South Carolina
