Ernest Hollings Ace Basin National Wildlife Refuge, SC

My son and I headed to this refuge today 7/18/2020. At 91F, it was too hot for any wildlife to wander around. The only super active wildlife were the mosquitoes. The fact that I had sprayed Deet all over my skin and clothes did not seem to faze them one bit. I realized quickly that I should have saved this trip to the fall.

First we stopped at a spot very close to the Combahee unit off river rd highlighted by SCTrails and hiked the loop around the pond. Then we drove a mile down the road and parked at the official entrance to the Combahee unit. Apparently they close the gates on weekends though the trails are open. We ventured in but then decided to head over to the Edisto unit as the area seemed pretty flat with no wildlife and absolutely no shade.

We drove the 40 min distance to the Edisto unit. There too we found the gate closed so we parked and walked the 1/4 mile entrance leading to the plantation house. The entrance is surrounded by beautiful moss covered oak trees typical of South Carolina’s lowcountry. I wanted to hike to the Edisto river but as soon as we started the mosquitoes decided it is time to feast on us. I could hardly stop to snap a photo before they proceeded to bite over my pants. That is when we decided to leave. I will share the few photos I did manage to take. Definitely a fall trip.

Official web site Ernest Hollings Ace Basin