Woods Bay State Natural Area
Listen & Learn About Spanish Moss
The canoe trail at Woods Bay is subject to fluctuating water levels. At times the waters are too low for navigation. Please contact the park directly for current trail conditions.
Woods Bay State Natural Area offers a close-up look at one of the last remaining large Carolina Bays on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Experience the splendor and diversity of the cypress-tupelo swamp first-hand from the 1150-foot boardwalk, or paddle your way amidst towering trees on the 1-mile canoe trail.
Habitats at 1,590-acre Woods Bay also include marsh, sand hills, oak-hickory forest and a shrub bog. More than 75 species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians are found here, along with more than 150 species of birds, changing with the seasons.
Come see alligators from the boardwalk and hear the "cu-tuck, cu-tuck, cu-tuck" of carpenter frogs as their calls echo through the trees. Take a hike on the nature trail as it encircles the historic mill pond and imagine yourself back in the mid-19th century when water from the bay powered two wooden grist mills.
Visitors also enjoy fishing, wildlife-viewing, photography and picnicking at the park.
Carolina Bays, elliptical depressions of various size scattered along the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, are among the Earth’s natural mysteries. Come check out Woods Bay State Natural Area and try to decide for yourself what created these intriguing natural wonders.
GENERAL
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Counties: Florence, Sumter and Clarendon counties
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Acreage: 1590
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When & How PRT Acquired: Purchased in 1973 from various owners
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Pets: Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet.
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Tour and Programs Information: Woods Bay is a "DiscoverCarolina Site", which provides curriculum-based science education programs for South Carolina school children.
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Significant Natural Features: Located throughout the Atlantic coastal plain, most Carolina Bays are found in South Carolina, North Carolina aand Georgia.
The bays themselves are elliptical depressions of unknown origin. Oriented in a northwest-southeast direction, Carolina Bays range in size from less than an acre to several thousand acres or more.
A sand rim is characteristically associated with these features and is most visible along the southeastern edge. Several theories exist about their formation.
The most popular include sea or underground springs, meteorites or tidal eddies.
HOURS
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Admissions: Free admission
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Days and Hours of Operation: 9am-6pm daily
LOCATION
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Driving Directions: From I-95: Take exit 141 onto Hwy 53/58 Eastbound. Go S. on Hwy 58 toward Shiloh. Turn E. onto Woods Bay Rd. (Hwy 48). Travel approximately 4½ mi the park will be on the right.
From Myrtle Beach & Conway: Take U.S. Hwy 378 West. After Lake City, exit right onto SC Hwy 341 North. Continue on 341 North through Olanta. Drive approximately 2 miles and then turn left onto Norwood Road (SC-S-43-150). At the stop sign turn right onto Woods Bay Road (Hwy 48), the park entrance will be on the left.
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Miles to Nearest Hospital: 16
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Miles to Nearest Town: 3
MILES TO:
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Charleston, SC: 90
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Columbia, SC: 75
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Florence, SC: 25
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Greenville, SC: 175
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Charlotte, NC: 134
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Raleigh, NC: 163
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Atlanta, GA: 280
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Augusta, GA: 150
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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 Olanta
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