Wild Ace Basin Adventure

Bring your camera and your spirit of adventure to enjoy a true ACE Basin Adventure!

The Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto (ACE) Basin stands apart as one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the east coast of the United States.

The ACE Basin consists of 350,000 acres of diverse habitats including pine and hardwood uplands, forested wetlands, tidal marshes, barrier islands and beaches.

The basin's unique estuarine system, the largest of its type in the state, provides key habitat for wildlife and serves as an ideal setting for kayaking or canoeing.

During the winter, nesting bald eagles soar over all these areas and on sunny days alligators bask on the banks.

In the summer, osprey fish in the creeks, and both Mississippi and swallow-tailed kites glide above the treetops.

In spring and summer, tropical migrant songbirds sing from forested creek banks.

There's no better way to see the flora and fauna of this unique ecosystem than by kayak or canoe.

Here are a few popular daytrip paddling routes to explore the ACE Basin at its wildest (with a map at the bottom):

Cuckhold's Creek to US 17

Launch: Cuckhold's Creek Landing, Road 66 near White Hall, Colleton County
Land: Steel Bridge Landing, U.S. 17, Beaufort County
Length: 5-6 hours
Tide: Launch on early falling tide. Tides at Cuckhold's landing are 5-6 hours behind Charleston Harbor.
Highlights: Excellent bird habitat in Cuckhold's Creek with broken bank ricefields available for exploring. During late spring and early summer spider lilies bloom along the banks. A view of the Combahee Plantation house on the right is available shortly after put in.

Trip: SC 64 to US 17

Launch: Throw-in at SC 64 bridge on Horseshoe Creek near Jacksonboro, Colleton County. Roadside parking only.
Land: Joe's Fish Camp just east of US 17. Ample parking; fee charged.
Length: 3 hours. Price's Bridge landing offers a convenient lunch ground as well as an opportunity for a shorter trip.
Tide: Tides do not affect the upper reaches of Horseshoe Creek but planning a trip to coincide with the falling tide in the Ashepoo may be advisable. High tide at the US 17 bridge is 4-5 hours after Charleston Harbor.
Highlights: The upper reaches flow through closed canopy bottomland hardwoods then open into old tidewater ricefields.

Trip: US 17-A to Line Canal

Launch: County Landing, US 17-A, Yemassee
Land: Line Canal bridge-Road 66 just beyond Bluff Plantation near White Hall, Colleton County
Length: 5 hours
Tide: Put in on falling tide. Tides are 5-6 hours behind Charleston Harbor.
Highlights: River view of Cherokee Plantation, boat house and main house, and large expanses of broken ricefields. The bluff at the junction of Line Canal and the Combahee River is where Forrest Gump fished with his son in the movie "Forrest Gump." Several sandbars offer swimming opportunities.

ACE Basin

843.844.8957

www.acebasin.net

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