It’s fall, y’all. 🍂 There’s something special about cooler weather + seeing the color of leaves change to orange, yellow and red during the fall season.

South Carolina’s warmer fall temperatures (compared to most of the country) typically mean the leaves change color a little later here. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy the season. According to this fall foliage map, South Carolina can expect to see the leaves change from early October to late November, with the peak of the changes between late October and early November.

Grab a loved one, friend, or go exploring on your own this season and fall into some Instagram-worthy trails + parks in and around Charleston. 🍂

Local Spots

🍁 Magnolia Plantation and Gardens | 📍3550 Ashley River Rd. | Check out what’s in bloom here this fall season - prepare to let time slip away while enjoying a wide variety of flowers in the garden.

🍁 James Island County Park | 📍871 Riverland Dr. | Enjoy the open meadows at this park that create a great fall backdrop.

🍁 Stono River County Park | 📍3580 McLeod Mill Rd., Johns Island | This park offers a marsh boardwalk leading to an island on the Stono River, over a quarter-mile of island trails with views of the Limehouse Bridge + Stono River, a picnic area + more. It’s a perfect spot for more than one fall foliage picture.

🍁 Middleton Place |📍 4300 Ashley River Rd. | This popular National Historic Landmark offers gorgeous fall views from its various landscaped gardens throughout the property.

🍁 Caw Caw Interpretive Trail |📍5200 Savannah Hwy., Ravenel | Explore more than six miles of trails that offer some areas of fall foliage + boardwalks through wetlands.

🍁 West Ashley Greenway |📍map | Certain spots along the greenway, that stretches 10.5 miles from the South Windermere Shopping Center on Folly Rd. to Johns Island, offers sites of fallen leaves that give you that autumn ambiance.

🍁 Awendaw Passage– Palmetto Trail |📍901 25 Mile Rd., Awendaw | This is a spot where visitors can immerse themselves through maritime forest + behold the beauty of the Lowcountry along Awendaw Creek.

🍁 Wannamaker North Trail |📍455 Westview Blvd., Goose Creek | This trail is a great area for bikers to see beautiful live oaks + beech trees during the fall season.

🍁 Old Santee Canal Park |📍900 Stony Landing Rd., Moncks Corner | This park includes four miles of boardwalks that go through the backwaters of Biggin Creek - a cool place for bird watchers, hikers + paddlers in the fall.

Road trip

🍁 Congaree National Park | 🚗 ~2 hours from CHS |📍100 National Park Rd., Hopkins, SC 29061 | This is the only National Park in South Carolina. Along the trails, visitors will see loblolly pines, bald cypress, tupelo, oaks, maple + holly trees. You can even go on a Boardwalk Tour + camp on the grounds.

🍁 Baker Creek State Park | 🚗 ~3 hours from CHS |📍 863 Baker Creek Rd., McCormick, SC | A road trip to this state park will lead you to 10 miles of rolling, loop trails that offer oak + pine woodlands. Bonus: This area is also home to Lake Thurmond, a 71,100-acre lake that will give you some serious serene fall vibes.

Need to immediately get a view of some fall foliage? Take a look at the changing leaves from this live webcam located upstate that’s provided by South Carolina State Parks. 🍂