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Cape Romain National
Wildlife Refuge, SC
(Capers Island) |
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Class
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Flow
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Gauge |
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NA |
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NA |
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| Character: |
Protected tidal sea kayak trip |
| Scenery: |
Tidal marsh, lightly forested barrier island |
| Distance from Downtown
Asheville: |
Five hours to put-in (275 miles) |
| Length: |
11 mile round trip; day trip, overnight and multi-day
options |
| Season: |
All year (Spring and Fall best weather/bug
combination) |
| Other sections: |
Bull Island, Cape's Point Loop,
Lighthouse Loop, Murphy's Island |
| Put-in: |
Isle of Palms Marina ($5 per car per day parking fee;
pay at the Marina office) |
| Take-out: |
Same as put-in for round trip; see the text
below for a suggested point-to-point trip of approximately the same
length as the Capers Island round trip |
| Directions from Asheville
(to take-out): |
Take I-26 South approximately 250 miles to Exit 212B-C
(I-526 to Savannah / Mt Pleasant). Take I-526 12 miles to the
Exit for US 17 North (to Georgetown). Turn left onto US 17 /
US 701 (Georgetown Highway) and drive 1.4 miles to a right onto SC
517 (Isle of Palms Connector). Once on Isle of Palms (about
four miles), turn left onto Palm Boulevard (SC 703) and drive
to about two miles to 41st Avenue. Turn left onto 41st Avenue
(you'll actually have no choice). The Isle of Palms Marina is
on your right at the end of the 41st Avenue. Click here to
view a map showing the route from I-26 to the Isle
of Palms Marina. |
| Shuttle: |
To run the shuttle for the Capers Island to Bull
Island to Moore's Landing point-to-point trip, re-trace steps to US
17 / US 701 (Georgetown Highway). Turn right onto US 17 / US
701 and drive North to Sewee Road (about 9.5 miles). Turn
right onto Sewee Road, then right again approximately 3.2 miles
later onto Bull Island Road. The landing is at the end of Bull
Island Road. Click here to view a map showing the route from
Isle of Palms to Sewee
and Bull Island Roads (you'll have to do a re-centering click or
two to follow the route). |
| Other access points: |
Moore's Landing (see Bull Island).
Can only be used two hours before and after high tide without
dragging boat through thick mud. Predicted tides for: Moore's
Landing, Sewee Bay. |
| Camping: |
The best camping is on the ocean-side of the island.
It is by permit only; call the South Carolina Department of
Natural Resources at (843) 762-5042 or 762-5062 to obtain a permit. |
| Gradient: |
NA |
| Guides |
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Online: |
SC
DNR's Capers Island Heritage Preserve; GORP's
Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge |
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Print: |
Coastal
Expeditions Maps (well yes, technically a map, but includes
put-ins and take-outs, camping areas, etc. . . in other words, much
of what you'd be looking for in a guidebook); James Bannon and
Morrison Giffen's Sea
Kayaking the Carolinas |
| Maps: |
TopoZone
Isle of Palms to Capers Island (and Bull Island / Moore's Landing)
USGS 7.5 Quads: Fort Moultrie, SC 1:24,000 Capers Inlet, SC 1:24,000
Sewee Bay, SC 1:24,000 Bull Island, SC 1:24,000 |
| Photos: |
Tours Gallery |
| Other: |
Predicted Tides (easiest to paddle in slack water or
going with the tide. Slack water occurs ___ hours before to
___ hours after a high / low tide):
Old
Capers Landing, Santee Pass, Capers Island
Moore's
Landing, Sewee Bay
Bulls
Bay, Wharf Creek Entrance
Tides are predicted for eight locations between the Moore's Landing
and Isle of Palms Marina; the predictions are generally within
20 minutes of each other. For additional predictions, visit Harbortides.com,
SC, Winyah Bay.
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Though Capers Island is not actually part of Cape Romain National
Wildlife Refuge, it is right next door and the only place to camp
close enough to the Refuge to serve as a basecamp.
Approximately three miles in length and one mile in width, Capers
Island was hit hard by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. It is
recovering, but is still lightly forested. It encompasses 850
acres of maritime uplands, 214 acres of front beach, 1,090 acres of
salt marsh and over 100 acres of brackish water impoundments.
Wildlife habitat diversity is outstanding. One can observe
alligators, white-tailed deer, raccoons, loggerhead sea turtles, and
numerous birds, such as herons, egrets, ibises, bitterns, waterfowl,
etc. Each year ospreys nest on Capers near the front beach. Eagles
can also be seen soaring over the island from time to time. The
creeks and marshes adjacent to Capers are alive with oysters,
shrimp, hard clams, crabs and many species of finfish such as sea
trout, red drum, flounder, black drum, king whiting, spot, pompano
and croaker.
A point-to-point trip that includes a paddle by both Capers and Bull
Island can be arranged by taking out at Moore's Landing.
The Isle of Palms to Moore's landing trip is approximately the same
length as the round-trip from the Isle of Palms Marina to Capers
Island. Options for multi-day trips include day trips from
Capers Island to Bull Island,
circumnavigating Bull and Capers Islands and exploring Sewee and
Bull Bays.
There are no amenities or stores on the island; be sure to
bring enough food and water (approximately one gallon per person per
day). Keep an eye on the tide; paddling out to the
island when the tide is coming in or back from the island when the
tide is going out can be a real struggle. Keep an eye out too
for other watercraft; much of the paddle is on the heavily
traveled Intercoastal Waterway.
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