Old Sheldon Church, Beaufort & Hunting Island

The Lowcountry from end to end, one way: from Yemassee the route follows Old Sheldon Church Road through the woods past the ruins of the 18th-century church, crosses the marsh on US-21 into Beaufort, then runs over Lady's Island and St. Helena Island to Hunting Island State Park. It's 40 miles. The park charges admission, downtown Beaufort is slow with tight parking, and Fripp Island beyond Hunting Island is private, so the route ends at the park.

From Yemassee the route follows Old Sheldon Church Road through the woods to the ruins of the church of Prince William's Parish, built between 1745 and 1753. British troops burned it in 1779; it was rebuilt in 1826 and wrecked again in 1865, and only the brick walls and columns stand today, with a small lot beside them. From there US-21 crosses miles of marsh into Beaufort, whose waterfront park sits a block off the route, and downtown traffic is slow with tight parking.

Past Beaufort the route crosses Lady's Island and St. Helena Island, the heart of the Gullah country, and ends at Hunting Island State Park, the most visited state park in South Carolina, with more than a million visitors a year. It charges $8 per adult, and its lighthouse is the only one in the state open to the public. Fripp Island, past Hunting Island, is private and gated, so the route ends at the park. It's a one-way route.