francis beidler forest

We visited Beidler Forest when in the Charleston area on the recommendation of a friend who had been there with a school group. What an amazingly interesting Audubon site filled with natural history all around as you walk the 1.75 mile boardwalk through the wonderful cyprus swamp. When you arrive at the visitor center to pay for your entrance to the boardwalk ($10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors), you can pick up a laminated ringed booklet that let's you self tour the swamp along a well made boardwalk. Each page of the booklet is numbered to match a point along the boardwalk which gives you interesting information about some detail of the swamp in that area. The booklet is very well done, giving enough information without being overly detailed. If you don't want to use the booklet, each numbered stop along the walk has a board with some general information about that point on the route. At the farthest point on the boardwalk, you come to a small lake with a raised overlook. Being there in the winter season obviously gave us a different perspective from the other seasons, but we actually loved being able to see distances through the trees and reflections on the water, especially with all the "knees" that you see along the way. Over-all, a very quiet, reflective reminder of the majesty of nature.

Francis Beidler Forest is located in "Four Holes Swamp, about 35 miles to the northwest from Charleston, SC. I have been to Francis Beidler Forest on several occasions, each time for the purpose of photography. The trees are bare in the winter, and thus I prefer visiting in May throughout the summer, when the swamp takes on a more mysterious quality because of the umbrella of green leaves that enshrouds the watery swamp. The boardwalk provides many vantage points for setting up the tripod and taking photographs. Moreover, you can point the camera in the generally downward direction, and acquire a bird's eye view of the swamp water and the intriguing reflections of the nearby trees in the forest, superimposed over the leaves floating on the surface, and further superimposed on underwater objects, such as roots. The cypress trees and tupelo gum are the main attractions, because of their dramatic and graceful trunks, and because of their "knees." The knees sometimes take on a grotesque appearance. My photographs (attached) include an image of one particularly grotesque knee which resembles the torso and head of a space alien. Another of my attached photos show my own hand posing next to the crown of a knee, where I did this because the crown of the knee looks like it has fingers made of wood.

This is a magical place. They have a boardwalk and beautiful old cypress. The little lake is lovely. Good for birdwatching and different kinds of wildlife. Please don't miss this wonderful place.

* If you enjoy the outdoors, places untouched by man (as little as possible), and science/nature, then this will be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Possibly other planets, too. I would also camp here, or bring your camper, if you are apt to do so. I would also eat at Just Desserts in Harleyville, not to far away. If you complain about the drive, it's actually not to bad and within 10 minutes or so from the interstate. Something this untouched and quiet isn't going to be in the middle of Atlanta or Cleveland. It's a swamp.

We went to the Charleston area over the Thanksgiving holiday and took a short (longer than expected) trip to the Francis Biedler Forest Audubon Sanctuary (FBFAS). We spend about 2 hours here- walking, birding and learning. We are nature lovers and travelers who enjoy finding off the beaten path areas to explore. We appreciate nature in our world and enjoy learning about and seeing it unspoiled. So, with high hopes we headed to FBF Audubon Sanctuary from our coastal vacation room. It was about an hours drive from the Charleston area- not too bad-- and the staff (lady who greeted us) was incredibly helpful and kind. But the boardwalk is almost 2 miles through just a cypress swamp. Don't get me wrong- I am SO glad that the area is protected and preserved and the 1,000 year old trees are incredible. It should also be noted...we love cypress swamps! But it was almost 2 miles of the exact same habitat. The boardwalk didn't meander through different habitats although It did end with a bit of forest- without swamp, but we spent a good portion of our day in the same habitat. IS that a bad thing? NOT necessarily! If you have never seen a cyprus swamp, or even if you just are looking for a 2 mile quiet walk this could be the place for you. If you live near by, I imagine finding the prothonotary warblers nesting in the cypress knees would be thriling! And having a place like this near by to find some serenity and enjoy quiet moments would be great! However, I wouldn't recommend making a special trip out here unless it's your only opportunity to see a cyprus swamp. We have been to Corkscrew in FL and absolutely loved it! We also enjoyed a short walk through Woods Bay State Park (SC). Which is about an 1hour and 20 minutes from FBFAS and 2 hours from Charleston. No gift shop there though...We tried really hard to love this place, and spent more time here than we should have because we wanted to love it...we just didn't it.

Not to be confused with the 'Audubon' Swamp Garden at a nearby Charleston plantation, this is the REAL deal when it comes to Audubon facilities and nature walks in general. With 1.75 miles of newly refurbished boardwalk that meanders through 1,000+ year old old growth cypress, Beidler forest was originally established to preserve 1,800 acres of old-growth swamp forest, one of only two stands still left in the state. The staff is immensely helpful; providing interpretive information, map, and where visitors might, if fortunate, get to see some of the local inhabitants. As with any wilderness area there are no guarantees, but this is what keeps a treasure like this pristine and pure. Take the time to visit, take it slow, look around you, and enjoy nature as it was meant to be seen.

We heard about this place from the campground. Went at 9 am seen a few birds lots of turtles. One snake no gators. The gators was what grandson wanted to see. Nice easy walk, took 3 hours at slow pace to walk. Was great place for younger kids. Kids still talking about it.

About 40 minutes from Charleston, SC a drive here is well worth it. An enchanting walk on a boardwalk through deep old growth forest brings you into another world. Huge bald cypress trees, one over 1100 years old, nestled between swamp oak and black gum trees sit in gently flowing shallow waters transitioning to dry land. It is unlike any other habitat that I have experienced, raw natural beauty and peacefulness at its finest. A world class place for nature photography and nature observation. Touch and feel station and activities for children.

This place is amazing. They have an elevated boardwalk, which is really nice. I will def be trying out one of their night walks.

Spent several hours here and loved it. The entire place is a raised boardwalk and is wheelchair accessible - a great way to stroll through a swamp! Part of the boardwalk was closed for construction as they are replacing the entire boardwalk, but we were still able to cover the full preserve - just had to back track some. Saw a barred owl, snakes and turtles, but alas no alligators. Is well worth the drive from Charleston!

I was recently in the Myrtle Beach area and saw this place listed when I looked up wildlife refuges. This beautiful place is the only Cypress swamp left in South Carolina that has never been logged or altered. The boardwalk was an easy walk and even has benches for sitting and viewing. I saw a barred owl ,turtles, snakes and birds. I also recommend taking the canoe trip as this allows you be in the middle of this amazing place. Jerry the guide was great and he volunteers his time for this tour. We saw alligators, snakes and birds and just being in the middle of this haunting place was an xperience of a life time. It is off the beaten path but well worth the drive.

I was glad that I was in a rental car going to the Beidler Forest. There is a long, narrow, unpaved driveway getting to the visitor's center. If anything was coming the other way somebody would have to have reversed half a mile without going in the ditch. But once you are there, it is a very scenic place. The boardwalk around the grounds makes everything very accessible. There is plenty of varied wildlife, especially birds including some woodpeckers who loved posing for the crowds. There were claims of snakes and alligators but I'm glad to say I didn't encounter either of them.

We saw the sign for this place off of interstate 26. Never heard of the place we had no idea what to exspect. Once arriving, which a very nice drive with lots of horse pastures, we paid for admission. Which was 8 dollars per adult and 4 for children 6-12. They have nice selection on suvolnors and unique nature items for purchase. They have a few hands on things in there as well as two snakes. Which my 7 year old thought was really cool. The boardwalk was a 1.75 mile walk threw the swamp. It was really nice but we only saw two birds and no other wild life. Which was a little disappointment. But they have an awesome tree that you can (if small enough) get in and see all the way to the too. We all thought that was awesome. The attendant at the front deal was very informative on when to visit to see more wildlife. We will be coming back here in the spring.

Quite close to Charleston only 40 minutes drive. They have a good round walking trail 1.75-mile with points of interest. This self-guided tour along the boardwalk trail allows visitors the chance to safely venture deep into the heart of the swamp... to experience the peace and serenity that have characterized the area for centuries... to hear the sounds of bird and bug and breeze that have echoed through the trees for ages... to take a relaxing and informative walk back into time... to see a swamp the way nature intended. We have seen lots of deers and turtles. Attention, no pets and it is closed on Mondays. Audubon Center & Sanctuary at Francis Beidler Forest 336 Sanctuary Road Harleyville, SC 29448 Phone: 843-462-2150 Fax: 843-462-2713

We visited the Francis Beidler forest on our way home from Charleston last weekend. The scenery was beautiful and the walk was very pleasant. I especially enjoyed the lake area. My only disappointment was that we visited during a time when construction was being done. The equipment that was being used made a lot of noise and it is my feeling that we did not see much wildlife because of this (we saw a turtle, a deer, and some spiders- nothing we couldn't have seen at home). I don't mean for that to sound like it's a bad review because we did very much enjoy ourselves just seeing the scenery. I would of liked to of seen more wildlife though. My recommendation would be to call ahead and see if construction is being done on the day you visit. I believe you'd have a much greater chance of seeing wildlife if it isn't.