The Cypress Wetlands is certainly a local hidden treasure. Located in Port Royal just over the bridge from Parris Island, this is a well built and maintained sanctuary for local birds and reptiles. The walking area is not very big, but big enough to enjoy nature as well as taking great pictures. The signage along the trail indicates the species of the local birds as well as the foliage. Parking is along the street. There is no cost to visit. read more

Cypress Wetlands - Parks Near Me - Port Royal, South Carolina

This is a wonderful walking path and dogs are welcome! It's a natural wetland and rookery. Plenty of wildlife - beware the alligators! I'm sure it's perfectly safe. read more

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This is an amazing wetland surrounded by a 1 mile boardwalk loop. In the middle of the loop are hundreds of nesting birds of all kinds. It's absolutely astounding to see in the spring when birds are in their mating plumage and then later, sitting on nests. When the hatchlings emerge, cuteness abounds! A must see for anyone who loves nature. read more

Cypress Wetlands - Wood Stork - Parks Near Me - Port Royal, South Carolina

The scenic beauty of Cypress Wetlands is like nothing I have ever seen. I felt one with nature with a deep sense of connection. The wildlife was so close that I was able to capture these stunning photos that don't even look real to me. If you haven't visited, make it a priority when visiting Port Royal. Simply breathtaking! read more

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A hidden Gem!!! Learned about the wetlands from a co guest at our Inn. Glad we took her advice and went. Saw multiple bird species even heron eggs when the heron 15 fee away stood up in her next Alligators and Turtles. We'd been touring for the day and tis was just a great spor t to slow down walk the boardwalk over the marsh and sit in the shade and enjoy the nature of the area. We stayed over and hour in the late afternoon! read more

It's just a phenomenal oasis of birds right in the middle of the city. I went in late March, 26 and it was something that felt like it shouldn't be possible. More birds than you'd imagine, flying around, building nests. Amazing. read more

My husband and I visited this beautiful preserve after Ken at Urban brew recommended it to us. It was absolutely awesome. We didn't see any gators, but we saw dozens of turtles, birds, and dragonflies/butterflies flying through the air. The path is clean easy to navigate with signs that detail what wildlife and plants are in the area. We enjoyed our stroll anwill definitely be back. read more

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Peaceful, calm, serene and picturesque. I was surprised at how close we were able to get to the egrets and roseat spoonbills. The weather was beautiful on the last day of August. One of the prettiest natural habitats in South Carolina. read more

Friends had tipped us off on this pitstop and we are so glad we strolled the 0.5 mile loop! You cannot believe the amount of wildlife in this small little lake/swamp. We saw alligators and the most beautiful birds! The whole thing took us 30min but we could have spent more time for sure. Didn't get to explore the town after but would def recommend to folks who are taking their time road tripping to Hilton head! read more

Easy 5 star experience, just adjust your expectations a bit. I was having breakfast at the Cracked Egg with my kids and when walking back to my car noticed a small trail. Always down for adventure, we took it. We spent a whole hour on that boardwalk. It isn't a long trail at all but there is so much wildlife to take in and observe you want to take your time. We saw multiple turtles, gators and a gorgeous variety of birds. Some of which had just had babies and we were able to view from a distance in their nests. I wouldn't plan a whole day around this activity but it should absolutely be on your to-do list when visiting Port Royal. read more

Cypress Wetlands - Parks Near Me - Port Royal, South Carolina

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I was in Port Royal for 2 months, April and May, and I went here, no joke, at least once a day. I'm from Oregon and had never seen anything like it and became OBSESSED with the swamp. The alligators, the birds in the rookery, the turtles--it was my favorite soap opera to see who was doing what, and I had to see what was happening. It's not massive--just a smallish lake in the middle of town with a boardwalk across it, but each time, I spent at least 15 minutes (often much longer--if you're only visiting once, you could be here an hour or so) watching the birds build nests and argue with each other, rooting for (and against!) the alligators. We were there during alligator mating season (!) and saw the alligators doing their bellowing. We saw a hawk snap up baby chicks, an alligator miss his attempt at snapping up a bird, and watched the ebb and flow of the duckweed. The Wetlands made me fall in love with Port Royal. It really is the gem of the city. You can follow along with the soap opera on their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/friendsofprcypresswetlands If you're anywhere near, stop by and spend some time. I will always love this place. read more

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Beautiful! At the time we went - around 10am on Friday-- it was quiet. You could hear all the birds and other animals communicating we saw a baby alligator, lots of birds. Nice place to walk read more

Cypress Wetlands - Parks Near Me - Port Royal, South Carolina

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Such a beautiful spot! This place is great for a stroll on a nice day. The view is gorgeous. We saw lots of wildlife. No alligators this time though. This is a great activity if you have kids or your looking just to get out for a bit. read more

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My absolute favorite place to visit, and blessed that it is so close to our home. We have started to go here every week. The activity of the wildlife is AMAZING. The vocalizing you hear from the egrets, herons and wood storks is almost comical. They are building their nests now so it resembles a construction zone, with many birds carrying various twigs and such to fortify their Spring homes. From the boardwalk, we could even see the gorgeous blue hued eggs that the birds were carefully attending to. You can take a path and go around the entire pond/wetland. Each view will show you a different perspective and will expose you to a multitude of creatures for your delight. The alligators are getting very active now after slumbering off during a relatively cold SC winter. We have seen at least five very young juveniles and two biggies. We figure one is most likely the mother of the young uns as offspring may hang around for up to three years with mom. It's also getting close to peak mating season, so one may encounter an alligator somewhere you might not expect, like crossing Route 278 through Bluffton and HHI. They are fascinating to watch and saw one today swimming quickly and aggressively towards a juvenile. Luckily the little guy was astute enough to see this and made a mad dash under the water only to reappear at the edge of the pond......safe from most likely a male gator. The amount of turtles is crazy. You can witness them sunning themselves on little floating islands, or swimming close to the surface. It's a beautiful place to see Mother Nature at its finest. read more

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Wonderful place to visit. FREE !!! One can see alligators, turtles and beautiful birds while on a semicolon walk. read more

Love visiting these Wetlands! I see something new and special every time I go there. Bring the family and your camera:) read more

Cypress Wetlands - Snowy Egret - Parks Near Me - Port Royal, South Carolina

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Wonderful place. So nice to see the wildlife. It's definitely not a long or hard walk but it is beautiful. read more

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What a nice walk in the middle of a cute little town. Birds and turtles galore, not to mention a couple of young alligators. Got to see lots of egrets in breeding plumage along with a couple of nests with eggs. read more