Georgia Coast Rail-Trail, White Oak Section
(Image posted with permission: Brian Brown, Vanishing South Georgia).
I recently mentioned The West Ashley Greenway – a 10.5 mile trail that parallels Highway 17 in West Ashley/Charleston, South Carolina. This Greenway is one of many such trails sponsored by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, “a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission it is to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.”
The sign above resides at the first stretch of the proposed 68-mile Georgia Coast Rail-Trail – the White Oak Section, which also parallels Highway 17 in Georgia. When complete, the Georgia Coast Rail-Trail will stretch from Kingsland (in Camden County) north to Riceboro (in Liberty County) and will cross 43 tidal rivers and creeks – providing unparalleled access to a remarkable stretch of the Georgia coast. The trail is being built on existing/raised railroad beds, close to, but separated from the surrounding wetlands.
The first 3.5-mile segment of the Georgia Coast Rail-Trail, at White Oak in Camden County, opened in Spring of 2010. It parallels Rt. 110/25/US 17 from Morris and Vanzandt Roads to Chaney Road. A second 2-mile section, the Woodbine Riverwalk (in Woodbine, Camden County) parallels East and West Oak streets and is paved for 1.25 miles and continues for an additional 0.65 miles as a ballast/dirt/grass trail. At the northern end of the Woodbine trail there is the Satilla River Waterfront Park, where there is an observation pier that was once a railroad trestle.
(Image by Brian Brown of Vanishing South Georgia. Go and visit Brian for a bit, okay? You can read more about him here).