Home › Parks › Beaufort › Spanish Moss Trail

Spanish Moss Trail

Beaufort to Port Royal, South Carolina

The old depot. The brick trailhead building in Beaufort, wearing the trail's green logo — the northern start of the Spanish Moss Trail.

The old depot. The brick trailhead building in Beaufort, wearing the trail's green logo — the northern start of the Spanish Moss Trail. 45,954 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025

Map of Spanish Moss Trail on Hilton Head Island
Where it is. The pin is the Spanish Moss Trail's Beaufort trailhead at the old depot on Depot Road. The trail runs about ten miles south from here to Port Royal. Tap the map to open it in Google Maps. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Location: Spanish Moss Trail, Beaufort

Category: Trail

Best For: Ten miles of old rail line — a brick depot, boardwalks and a fishing pier

The Archive: 20 photos · 90,296 views on Google Maps

Over the creek. The ruin. The long boardwalk. A bench at the trailhead. The pier's shadow. The south lot. Still water. The fishing pier. Straight and shaded. Under the big oak. Depot Road. The pier deck. Fence line. The far dock. The overlook. Marsh from the rail. The power-line straightaway. Creek portrait. The trail map.

The Spanish Moss Trail is a ten-mile rail trail between Beaufort and Port Royal, built on the old Magnolia Line rail bed — paved, flat, and strung with boardwalks and a long fishing pier over the marsh creeks. It starts at a brick depot in Beaufort and passes one memorable oddity: a burned-out brick ruin standing in the trees. Every photo here was shot in a single October 2025 ride. The depot photo at the top of this page has been viewed 45,954 times on Google Maps. Part of the Beaufort series, with Waterfront Park and Whitehall Park.

Key Takeaways

  • 20 photos, all shot in October 2025: 90,296 views on Google Maps and counting.
  • The trail follows a Civil War-era rail bed — that is why it runs so straight and flat.
  • The fishing pier's far end was posted closed the day these were shot; the boardwalk run is the consolation prize.

Tagged Features

The DepotFishing PierBoardwalksThe Marsh
Over the creek. The fishing pier's rail above the marsh grass, the creek sliding under.
Over the creek. The fishing pier's rail above the marsh grass, the creek sliding under. 18,545 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The ruin. A burned-out brick shell standing in the trees just off the trail — Beaufort keeps its ghosts in plain sight.
The ruin. A burned-out brick shell standing in the trees just off the trail — Beaufort keeps its ghosts in plain sight. 10,444 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The long boardwalk. The trail's elevated run over the water, railings both sides.
The long boardwalk. The trail's elevated run over the water, railings both sides. 6,217 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
A bench at the trailhead. Bench, water fountain and bike rack where the pavement starts.
A bench at the trailhead. Bench, water fountain and bike rack where the pavement starts. 4,299 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The pier's shadow. Looking down past the boardwalk's shadow line to the rocky shore.
The pier's shadow. Looking down past the boardwalk's shadow line to the rocky shore. 1,502 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The south lot. Gravel parking shaded by live oaks at the trail's southern end.
The south lot. Gravel parking shaded by live oaks at the trail's southern end. 1,193 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Still water. A tidal creek folding through the marsh grass.
Still water. A tidal creek folding through the marsh grass. 801 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The fishing pier. The full length of the pier over the creek — its far end posted closed the day this was shot.
The fishing pier. The full length of the pier over the creek — its far end posted closed the day this was shot. 572 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Straight and shaded. The paved line running south under the trees.
Straight and shaded. The paved line running south under the trees. 180 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Under the big oak. A picnic clearing drowned in Spanish moss beside the trail.
Under the big oak. A picnic clearing drowned in Spanish moss beside the trail. 146 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Depot Road. The street sign where the trail crosses Depot Road.
Depot Road. The street sign where the trail crosses Depot Road. 143 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The pier deck. Open concrete at the pier's end, river on both sides.
The pier deck. Open concrete at the pier's end, river on both sides. 79 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Fence line. The trail running beside the split-rail fence.
Fence line. The trail running beside the split-rail fence. 76 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The far dock. Across the water to a dock and a houseboat, from the pier.
The far dock. Across the water to a dock and a houseboat, from the pier. 71 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The overlook. The deck's wide end above the river.
The overlook. The deck's wide end above the river. 20 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Marsh from the rail. Cordgrass and open water below the pier railing.
Marsh from the rail. Cordgrass and open water below the pier railing. 20 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The power-line straightaway. The trail's long flat run under the wires.
The power-line straightaway. The trail's long flat run under the wires. 17 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
Creek portrait. Marsh banks folding into still, green water.
Creek portrait. Marsh banks folding into still, green water. 17 views on Google Maps · Photo taken Oct 2025
The trail map. The route board at a trailhead — ten miles of old rail line, mapped.
The trail map. The route board at a trailhead — ten miles of old rail line, mapped. · Photo taken Oct 2025
See Spanish Moss Trail on Google Maps

20 photos: 90,296 views on Google Maps — and counting.

Nearby Spots

Two palms and the swing bridge. The promenade's point on the Beaufort River, the Woods Memorial Bridge behind — the most-viewed photo in this archive.
Beaufort Waterfront Park
Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort · 1.2 mi
 The Point. A quiet corner in Beaufort's historic Point neighborhood — white clapboard, azaleas, and a one-way sign pointing deeper into the old streets.
Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina · 1.6 mi
 The tidal creek. Marsh channels braiding through the cordgrass at low water.
Whitehall Park
Whitehall Park, Beaufort · 1.6 mi
 Sailboat at low tide. Low tide on the marsh, one sailboat out on the creek.
Moss Creek Nature Preserve
Moss Creek Nature Preserve, Bluffton · 12.6 mi
 Sunset over calm water from a dock on Pinckney Island's south shore, orange sky reflected in Skull Creek
Pinckney Island
Off US 278, between Bluffton & Hilton Head Island · 13.5 mi
 Moss Creek Marina. The marina at dusk — docks, boats, and glassy water.
Moss Creek Marina
Moss Creek Marina, Bluffton · 13.6 mi
 Hole 15, par 3. A wide look at the par-3 15th green — bunker left, live oaks behind, marsh grass in front. It is the most-viewed golf photo in this archive.
Moss Creek Golf Club
Moss Creek Golf Club, Bluffton · 14.1 mi
 Truffles Cafe green oval sign hung in a red-brick arched window, Belfair Plaza, Bluffton SC
Truffles Cafe
Belfair Plaza, US 278, Bluffton · 14.6 mi
 The great oak. A centuries-old live oak spreads over the lawn at Honey Horn, the old house beyond.
Honey Horn
70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island · Parks
 Oyster Alley Boardwalk. The boardwalk runs out over the marsh toward Jarvis Creek.
Oyster Alley Boardwalk
Honey Horn, Hilton Head Island · Parks
 Rolling dunes and bunkers of the 18th fairway on Daufuskie Island, water beyond
Daufuskie Island
Between Hilton Head & Savannah · By boat only · Parks
 The stable. The white stable at Honey Horn, home base for the museum’s Marsh Tacky horses.
Coastal Discovery Museum
70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island · Parks
Home › Parks › Beaufort › Spanish Moss Trail

Browse by subject

Marsh & Water (20) Beaches (10) Gardens & Flowers (8) Historic (5) Golf (5) Sunrises (4) Birds & Wildlife (4)