Published Monday, July 28, 2008 4:45 PM
Updated Monday, July 28, 2008 8:49 PM
Pictured at the St. Stephen Community Visitor Center drop in July 21 are (l-r) Oliver Buckles, county supervisor Dan Davis, Ken Driggers and Mayor Bobby Hoffman.
St. Stephen celebrates Palmetto Trail Outdoor Center
The Palmetto Conservation Foundation is opening a new Palmetto Trail Outdoor Center located in the St. Stephen Community Visitor Center, 1174 North Main Street.
A special celebration was held July 21 at the Visitor Center in honor of all business owners and to introduce the new center.
A total of 42 guests were in attendance, including Berkeley County Supervisor Dan Davis, Rep. Joseph Jefferson, and members of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, Oliver Buckles and Ken Driggers.
Buckles gave an introduction of the new Palmetto Trail Outdoor Center, assisted by Driggers. Both were on hand to answer and share information of this exciting outdoor adventure.
The new Outdoor Center will serve as an eco-tourism headquarters for the St. Stephen, Pineville, and Jamestown areas with an emphasis on northern Berkeley County.
The center will draw in regional and statewide visitors to experience hiking in the swamps and pine flatwoods of the Palmetto Trail, kayaking in the beautiful waters of the Berkeley Blueways, and mountain biking through the vast array of challenging trails.
The center will provide visitors with information and trail maps on the many opportunities that are available for outdoor exploration.
Organized hikes and tours will leave from the Visitor Center guided by naturalists, historians, and experienced trip leaders. For enjoyment and convenience there will be kayaks and mountain bikes for rent along with books about the outdoors, tee-shirts, walking sticks, and the like for sale.
A grand opening for the Outdoor Center is scheduled for September.
For more information, call 567-4480 or email sstvisitorsc@tds.net
fat Tire Kicker : 7/31/2008
I have tried the website, and posted on it; nobody bothered to answer me. Then my post got mysteriously deleted! However that was a few years ago, I haven’t bothered since then. I will go and check it out, thanks. Are their particular people I should address my concerns too?
To Answer Your Concerns About The Trail : 7/31/2008
Low Country Fat Tire Kicker, pls go to website www.palmettoconversation.org and click onto Trail Talk to have your comments/concerns answered. I am glad to be of help... Thanks!!
Low country fat Tire kicker : 7/30/2008
This sounds like a grand idea and hopefully more folks on the trail will help to maintain them as well. However I recently hiked/biked the low country sections, and the sections that are NOT in a National forest are in horrible shape, some sections you can’t even find the trail! And that was with a GPS!!! Other sections have you walking on the side of a trash filled road; I mean if they are going to have this grand opening, I hope they at least clean up the trail first. It gets better as you head upstate after you get around the funky trail routing around Lake Marion, but even those sections have you wishing you were carrying a machete! (A GPS is a must) The trail doesn’t really get useable tell you get into the Manchester state forest sections and out to the Wateree River. I would also like to know just where the “vast array of challenging mountain bike trails” are,(In the low country) I frequently go to Manchester to ride, and even occasionally to Harbason and F.A.T.S. THOSE are challenging fun trails and kudos to who ever maintains those trails as they are always in great condition. I especially love the funny signage on the Manchester trails, the bicycle in the tree cracked me up!!