Edisto Island Scenic Byway · SC-174

The Edisto Island Scenic Byway, out and back: from US-17 the route follows SC-174 south through Adams Run, crosses the Dawhoo River on the McKinley Washington Jr. Bridge, runs through the marshes and oaks of Edisto Island and turns around at Edisto Beach State Park. It's 42 miles round trip, and there's no other way off the island. Expect crosswind on the bridge and beach traffic in summer. Botany Bay is a dirt road and isn't part of the route.

SC-174 runs about 26 miles from US-17 to Edisto Beach, and since 2009 a 17-mile stretch on the island has been a National Scenic Byway. From US-17 the route heads south through Adams Run and crosses the Dawhoo River on the McKinley Washington Jr. Bridge, opened in 1993 to replace the old swing bridges and named for a local minister who served in the state House and Senate. Expect crosswind on the bridge.

On the island the road runs through salt marsh, farm fields and long stretches under live oaks, with no chain stores and no tall buildings, and ends at Edisto Beach State Park, where the route turns around. There's no other road off the island, so you come back the same way. Botany Bay, off SC-174, is a dirt loop closed on Tuesdays and during hunts, and isn't part of the route. In summer expect beach traffic, heat and mosquitoes.