Donnelly Wildlife Management-ACE Basin Region
One of the welcome GPS messages for swamp goers is an alert that some roads along your route may not be recognized. This usually means you’re heading deep into the woods. and even amateur explorers don’t mind hearing this.
By taking a right turn into the Donnelly Wildlife Management Area off US 17, it’s a 2 mile drive to the check station.
Water is on both sides of the road.
“The unique property is a cross section of the Lowcountry and encompasses a diversity of wetland and upland habitats including: managed rice fields, forested wetland, tidal marsh, agricultural lands and a variety of upland types, including a natural stand of longleaf pine.
The area is managed under a multiple-use concept to achieve the following objectives: protect and enhance the diverse wetland and upland habitats for resident and migratory species of wildlife; provide quality hunting and other wildlife-related recreation opportunities for the public; maintain and restore representative natural plant communities; and provide an area for natural resource-related research and education programs.” To read more click here
When we arrived at the check station, we just passed through since the gates were unlocked.
Entrance area and visitor information point
There were many trails off to the sides of the main road we stayed on. But passing up a swamp side is not possible for us.
Pulling over to park was easy since there was not another soul around. During the hour we spent enjoying nature and taking pictures we had not seen another person. At this point, I thought about the uncharted roads and no one knowing we were out here with the critters. I decided to call the check station and let them know we were wandering around. I was relieved when a lady answered. She seemed amused with my story to notify them.
As we continued on our adventure I realized that the days are longer, at almost 5 PM we still had daylight. Hooray for spring!
And it’s a good thing to have because you have to watch where you step.
Surprisingly we did not see much of the wildlife that lives in the basin. We saw a lot of animal tracks, and the birds stayed well hidden in the mature trees.
I’ll bet if we stayed until dusk, many of the critters that make this 8000-acre site home would be roaming more freely.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are enjoying the scenery of Coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Ace Basin Area of South Carolina-south of Charleston
