If walking through the woods in the dark of night gives you the heebie-jeebies, now’s your chance to experience it without the worry.

As part of its 2013 Nature Series, Birds & Butterflies of Aiken is offering a guided field trip through the 3,154-acre Silver Bluff Audubon Center May 21 led by none other than the sanctuary director, Paul Koehler.

Participants will meet at the Visitors Center at 7:30 p.m. to begin the nocturnal tour. During the walk, Koehler will identify the calls of the night dwellers that inhabit the preserve, among them Whip-poor-wills, owls, Chuck-will’s-widow and frogs.

Located along the Savannah River in Jackson, Silver Bluff features habitats typical of much of South Carolina’s Coastal Plain with upland pine forests, hardwood bottomlands, fields, lakes and streams. More than 200 species of birds have been identified in the sanctuary.

Cost of the one-hour field trip is just $5; free for children 16 and younger. It’s limited to 25 participants, so you’ll want to make your reservations right away. To book your spot, call (803) 649-7999. Be sure to bring a flashlight.

Birds & Butterflies’ 2013 Nature Series schedule features monthly seminars or field trips on everything from the owls of South Carolina to snakes of the Southeast. For the complete schedule of events, call the Aiken store at (803) 649-7999.

So many rivers. So little time.

I recently discovered another great paddling destination in South Carolina. The Enoree River, located in the Piedmont’s backcountry, offers the kind of off-the-grid experience one finds in places visitors seldom venture.

From the small Southern town of Clinton, the river winds through 36 miles of Sumter National Forest. Paddling downstream along steep hardwood bluffs and floodplain forests, you are cloaked in a solitude enjoyed only in remote settings far from cell towers and Wi-Fi.

On a recent weekend, we put in at the canoe launch at Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, six miles upstream from the official start of the river trail. Aside from navigating past some riffles and a few downed branches at the launch site, it was an easy two-hour float trip.

The name Enoree comes from the Cherokees, meaning “river of muscadines”, the wild grapes that can be found all along the lower section of the waterway. Along with grapevines, the surrounding terrain features ash, sycamore and hickory trees that form a dense canopy over the water in the warmer months of the year.

Most of the Enoree is narrow and shallow, ranging from 40 to 70 feet across and two to six feet deep. The first 16 miles of the river trail (referred to as Reach 1) is virtually free of development. While you won’t see many species of the two-legged variety, the surrounding land is popular with hawks, blue herons, barred owls, mink, muskrats and otters.

The brisk current moved us along at a steady pace, but we had to do a little maneuvering to get around sandbars and strainers.

During rainy months, the water level can overflow the Enoree’s banks. In the dry summer months, there may only be a trickle in the main channel. The rangers at Musgrove Mill can provide you with information on the current conditions of the river in the section running through the park. The park office number is (864) 938-0100.

We took out at Jones Bridge, but there are two more access points in Reach 1 of the river trail. It’s about a four- to five-hour paddle to the second take-out site at Forest Service Road 339.

The Enoree Passage of the Palmetto Trail crosses through Reach 1. Look out for hikers crossing a footbridge just after the Jones Bridge access point.

For a printable guide and map of the Enoree River Canoe Trail, click here. 

In an area as flat as the Atlantic Coastal Plain, a 30-foot hill will catch most people’s attention. The fact that it was once an Indian ceremonial and burial site and later a British fort makes it a must-see attraction in the Santee National Wildlife Refuge. 

Located in the preserve’s Bluff Unit, the Santee Indian Mound dates back a thousand years to a native culture that flourished on the coastal plain in the centuries before the founding of Charleston.

Aside from being the site of various religious rites, it also was used for burials by the local Santee Indians, part of the Mississippian culture that lived in this area for thousands of years. Archeologists have excavated at least 16 graves from the mound.

By the beginning of the American Revolution, the site had been abandoned by the Indians, many of whom were shipped to the West Indies as slaves during the Yemassee War. The British made use of the high ground to build an outpost. Fort Watson provided an elevated vantage point that overlooked the Santee River and the road to Charleston.

The mound was incorporated into a stockade with vertical logs around the summit and a surrounding ditch with three rows of pointed stakes aimed outward. An attempt by the Patriots to take the post in February 1781 failed miserably. In April, General Francis Marion, known as the “Swamp Fox”, and Lt. Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee initiated a siege that consisted of scattered small arms duels.

But the course of the battle changed when the Patriots built a tower that could be used to fire into the stockade, neutralizing the British troop’s advantage of elevation. Once Marion had overtaken Fort Watson, he demolished the works to ensure the British would not return to occupy it.

Although the action lasted only eight days, it was an important American victory — one of several skirmishes that forced the British to abandon the back country of South Carolina.

No remnants of the fort remain, but visitors can climb to an observation platform at the top of the mound to read about the siege and its prehistoric past. You’ll also enjoy a fantastic view of the lake and Santee Cooper country. 

For directions or information on the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, click here or call (803) 478-2217.

You’ve got to love a trail that’s flat, short and offers an incredible diversity of habitat for viewing birds. Wright’s Bluff Nature Trail in the Bluff Unit of the Santee National Wildlife Refuge is that kind of trail.

An easy one-mile loop, the walking path takes visitors through a bottomland swamp habitat known to attract those gorgeous Prothonotary warblers everyone loves, along with wood ducks — the most beautiful of all wild ducks.

You’ll see a number of wood duck nest boxes from the boardwalk overlooking the swamp. These predator-protected homes compensate for a shortage of natural cavities.

Once near the brink of extinction, wood ducks have come back strong thanks to artificial nesting structures like these and regulations limiting hunting. Today, there are more than two million breeding pairs of wood ducks nationwide — and their numbers continue to grow.

A little farther along the trail is a 15-foot observation tower overlooking an open grass field that is planted with corn and other crops to feed migratory birds that fly through the area. This time of year, you’ll see Canadian geese foraging the ground, along with sandhill cranes and eastern meadowlarks. The best times to catch the show are at dawn and dusk.

As the trail loops around to the east, it winds along Cantey Bay. In addition to enjoying the beautiful waterfront vista, visitors can walk out to an observation platform equipped with binoculars to search out wildlife. Great blue herons, egrets and other wading birds are often seen feeding along the shore.

Wright’s Bluff Nature Trail also offers opportunities to spy wild turkey, white-tailed deer, small mammals, reptiles and songbirds such as the spectacular painted bunting and Prothonotary warbler.

To find out more about the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, click here or call (803) 478-2217.

You’ve got your wooded campsites, a lake for canoeing and fishing, hiking trails, a six-mile mountain biking loop, two playgrounds and even a dog park for your four-legged crew.

Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia has all the makings of a great family camping experience. And now they’re doing it one better with free S’mores Nights for registered campers.

The culinary campfire entertainment is being offered from 8 to 9 p.m. May 4 and 25 in the center of the campground’s lower loop. The rangers will build a roaring fire and provide the marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers and roasting sticks if you don’t have your own.

Sesqui, as it’s affectionately called by locals, is a popular green getaway just a short drive from the Capital City’s downtown. The 1,400-acre park features 84 campsites for tents or RVs, as well as a retreat center with dormitory-style accommodations for up to 30 guests.

The park’s two flat, tree-lined trails — one 3.5 miles, the other 1.9 miles — are enjoyed by hikers, joggers and dog walkers. The shorter of the two — the Sandhills Hiking Trail — was paved last year to make it more accessible for parents pushing strollers.

Mountain bikers have their own single track loop that winds and rolls through a pine forest with a fast and sandy bottom. Because sand drains so well, you can ride this trail shortly after a hard rain when other trails in the area are closed.

The park also offers kayaks, canoes, pedal boats and non-motorized fishing boats for rent. You’re welcome to bring your own boat, but you’ll need to carry it down to the water to launch. There is no boat ramp on the lake.

Fishing also is allowed on the 30-acre lake, so long as you have a S.C. fishing license. Bass and bream are the usual catch.

If you’re traveling with a canine companion, you can let him run off leash in the two-acre fenced-in dog park. There is a $4 fee for a day permit. You’ll need to keep him on a leash no longer than six feet on the trails and other areas of the park.

Want to learn more about Sesquicentennial State Park. Click here or call (803) 788-2706.