Draper’s Sunflowers, SC 2022

I visited Draper on Saturday 7/9/2022 with my son and mother in what has become a yearly pilgrimage to see the sunflower fields. Draper Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is an 806 acre-tract of land that includes three stocked fishing lakes. Located in McConnell, SC the WMA borders Historic Brattonsville a living history museum.

Once you enter the WMA, follow the road until the end where it loops around. This is where you park. I usually park just before the circle on the right. The path to the sunflowers is an easy short walk, likely about a quarter of a mile. You pass a fishing pond, then walk through a short path lined with beautiful trees to emerge in front of the sunflowers. My mother took her walking sticks as they help her with balance. There is no need to walk further but you certainly can hike to the end of the field -which is what I did to capture some of the photos below. Just know that whatever distance you cover would need to be walked back to reach your vehicle. It is not a loop.

This year a dark storm was brewing, but thankfully it slowly dissipated much to the joy of a couple of photographers meeting families there. It is always such a pleasure to be there among these stunning and cheery flowers. I love this beautiful quote by Malene Rossau “Always hold your head high like a sunflower that stretches toward the light.”

Reference Alltrails, SC DNR Web Site

Address 1080 Draper Rd. McConnells, SC 29726