Day Trip to Crackerneck Wilderness Area, Jackson SC May 7 or May 14

#1
UPDATE! I will not be there on the 7th.

Near where I work/live is a Wilderness Management Area that is owned by the Federal Government and managed by SCDNR. It is usually open exclusively for hunts to those with hunting licenses/tags but for the most part is closed off to the public. Let me know if you are interested in meeting me on the 14th of May at 9:00AM.

On Saturdays in May, it is open for "Non-Consumptive" use, meaning open to the public from 6:00 AM until 8:00 PM. There are around 50 miles of trails across 11,000 acres. All of the trails are pretty flat and mild, ranging from gravel road to two track to 18 inches of water. There is also a pond where fishing is welcome if you have a license. While this place lacks in obstacles, they excel in diverse scenery. You can be driving along in a cypress swamp, turn the corner into a long-leaf pine forest and cross the street into mixed hardwoods.

As far as trails are concerned, you will probably never have to put it into 4Hi and cross-country riding is prohibited. All places are open to foot traffic and if there are any places where they do not want you to drive, it will be obvious. Also, DNR, the USFS, and DOE's various laboratories run ongoing experiments out there. Nothing crazy, just food plots, groundwater testing, cross-pollination of plants, etc... These are off limits to vehicles, horses, hikers, pretty much everyone.

The nearest town is Jackson, SC which has a BP Station, a Subway, a Chinese place and not much else. You may want to bring a cooler and something to eat.
The Check-In station is located here: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.2877091,-81.7810778,230m/data=!3m1!1e3
We could meet at the BP Station nearby at 9:00: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.3268365,-81.7781979,115m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here are some pictures and a video of the place:
IMG_1049_zpsgahuqlbw.jpg

IMG_1092_zpsgel9clns.jpg

Crackerneck_CyprusTrail_zpsdag27s2d.jpg

Crackerneck_PineTrail_zpslt5a7bbl.jpg

Crackerneck_ThreeRuns2_zpspakgmnud.jpg

[video=youtube;aGvdnsRYZYI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGvdnsRYZYI[/video]
 
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#5
This place is open again this Saturday, May 28th. If anyone wants to explore, let me know and I can meet you there.

After this Saturday, it shuts down and probably won't open again until September.
 
#7
You should be fine, they are mild trails and are maintained well.

Typed on a phone where my fingertip spans across three or four keys creating lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
 
#9
They will enjoy it, it is pretty flat and mild woth nothing un-nerving. Pack a picnic because this place has about the same amount of amenities as Horsepature road. PM me your e-mail address and I can send you a map of the place. It also has the rules on it.

Typed on a phone where my fingertip spans across three or four keys creating lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
 
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