Wambaw Cycle Trail

Wambaw Cycle Trail is approximately 40 miles of designated OHV trail organized into North and South figure-eight loops in the Francis Marion National Forest, accessed from the Round Pond trailhead approximately 45 miles north of Charleston near McClellanville in Charleston County. The Wambaw system holds a geographic distinction in South Carolina: it is the only organized OHV system in the state's coastal lowcountry, serving the Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Georgetown riding markets with public-land trail access in a landscape type (flat, wet coastal plain), that is unlike any other OHV system in the Southeast. The Francis Marion's terrain reflects the lowcountry ecology: the trail moves through longleaf pine-palmetto flatwoods, skirts vernal ponds that appear and disappear with the water table, crosses blackwater creek drainages flanked by bald cypress, and approaches the edges of the tidal influence zones where brackish marshland begins. Motorcycles and OHVs up to 50 inches wide are permitted on the designated trail; full-size 4x4 trucks are not permitted. Sections of the trail close frequently after significant rain due to lowcountry flooding, the flat terrain and high water table mean trail sections can sit underwater for days after major storms. Day permits ($5/day via Recreation.gov) are required. Primitive camping is available at the Round Pond trailhead. Always call the Wambaw-Witherbee Ranger District ahead of visiting (843-887-3257).