Carolina Adventure World features 10 miles of dedicated dirt bike trails. Bikers also can ride anywhere on the 100-mile network of custom designed trails.

A young park visitor shows off his side-by-side after playing in the mud.

Five years after opening, Carolina Adventure World has become one of the premier destinations in the Southeast for riding ATVs, UTVs and dirt bikes.

The park’s welcome center offers a full range of riding gear, equipment, parts, camping supplies and a snack bar.

Visitors who want to stay at Carolina Adventure World have their choice of RV campsites, a tent campground, eight cabins or a yurt. The cabins come equipped with heating and air, microwave, refrigerator, sink, a bathroom with shower, a picnic table and a fire ring.

ATV riders are always in search of a good puddle to splash through.

Amateur photographers have until Feb. 22 to enter their best nature shots. Categories include landscape, wildlife, flowers and plants and the Santee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Ken Jenkins.

The Sassafras Mountain overlook offers a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A mountain biker makes his way along the 2.6-mile trail in Paris Mountain State Park. A section of the loop is reserved for hikers only.

A boardwalk allows hikers to pass over a creek on the Brissy Ridge Trail without getting their boots wet.

The Brissy Ridge Trail is a favorite with dog-walking hikers.

The Edisto Island Bike Path takes you on a scenic five-mile tour of the barrier island.

The ride begins near the Edisto Beach Marina and then curves around the lagoons of Fairfield Plantation.

Lake Placid is the centerpiece of Paris Mountain State Park. An easy, 1.2-mile nature trail loops around the eight-acre lake.

Paris Mountain State Park features 15 miles of hiking/biking trails accessible to every level of cyclist. Be aware, biking is not allowed on any of the trails on Saturdays.

Canoes, kayaks and pedal boats are available for rent at Paris Mountain State Park during the spring, summer and fall.

This deluxe bird house resembles the Park Center built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The shore along Botany Bay offers a rare look at a natural, undisturbed beachfront.

Erosion along Botany Bay’s 2.8-miles of shoreline has created a “boneyard” of dead trees.

The driving tour of Botany Bay Plantation takes you along Ocella Creek and the surrounding salt marsh.

A canopy of live oaks like this one shades the entrance road to Botany Bay Plantation.

On your driving tour of the Botany Bay Plantation, you’ll come across this white wooden structure that once served as the Bleak Hall ice house.

Built in 1858 on Russell Creek, this historic plantation house was occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War. It is one of the first points of interest on the Edisto Island National Scenic Byway.

Encompassing 17 miles of S.C. 174, this meandering two-lane road stretches from the Intracoastal Waterway to Edisto Beach, offering visitors a picturesque drive through the Lowcountry landscape.

From the crest of the bridge, you’ll get a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and expansive stretches of the salt marsh.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the church dates back to 1831.

A kayaker navigates through a rapid during the annual Millrace Massacre in downtown Columbia. Photo courtesy of Sue Heiser.

Dozens of kayakers race on the Saluda River in a competition that requires participants to swim to the finish. Photo courtesy of Sue Heiser.

For the Millrace Massacre and Iceman Championships, the water level on the Saluda River was increased to 4,300 cubic feet per second, creating Class III and IV rapids. Photo courtesy of Sue Heiser.

Spectators watch the Millrace Massacre and Iceman Championships from the rocky banks of the Saluda River. Photo courtesy of Sue Heiser.

The Tubing Competition serves as the half-time show for the Millrace Massacre and Iceman Championships in Columbia. The top finishers in the first race are invited to run the rapids in this friendly paddling contest.

A kayaker checks out a tree along Cedar Creek in Congaree National Park. The park boasts 25 champion trees within its 26,000 acres of forest.

Edisto Beach State Park features seven newly renovated cabins overlooking Scott Creek and the marsh.

All seven cabins at Edisto Beach State Park have been renovated from top to bottom. The kitchens include a microwave, coffee maker and a full complement of dishes, silverware and cooking utensils.

All seven Edisto Beach cabins feature a porch with rocking chairs. Outside you’ll find a picnic table, grill and fire ring.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources offers its free fishing tackle loaner program at 30 sites around the state. A spin-cast rod and reel and tackle are provided. All you need is the bait to enjoy an afternoon at the ol’ fishing hole.

Edisto Beach State Park’s trails meander through a maritime forest offering great views of the surrounding salt marsh.

Visitors can learn more about the Lowcountry ecology and the fragile resources of the ACE Basin in the park’s education center.

Edisto Beach State Park features 1.5 miles of palmetto-lined shores. The sandy beach is known for its variety of shells and historic fossils.

The park’s 1.7-mile wooded pathway will take you to a 4,000-year-old shell midden. Once 20-feet high and covering half an acre, the shell mound has been eroded over the years and is now one-tenth that size.

Two four-year-old sibling Red Wolves settle into their new home at the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center in Awendaw. There are only 194 Red Wolves in captivity today in the United States. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Located in Awendaw on U.S. 17 North, this 9,000-square-foot facility is one of 40 Red Wolf captive breeding centers in the country.

This exhibit in the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Educational Center offers information on the Red Wolf, one of the most endangered animals in the world.

A 4.2-mile road circles through the 276-acre Lynch’s Woods Park, providing access to 7.5 miles of hiking and biking trails. 

This stone headwall was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

Located in Newberry, the 276-acre park features 7.5 miles of wooded trails enjoyed by hikers, bikers and dog walkers. 

A father and his sons set out on the Jungle Trail at Aiken State Park.

A visitor washes her hands in one of three artesian wells found at Aiken State Park.

Aiken State Park’s Cabin Lake has been restocked with largemouth bass, shellcracker and bluegill and will reopen for fishing next May.

As part of a national effort to get people outdoors and active, 28 South Carolina state parks will be offering ranger-guided hikes Jan. 1.

Wildwater Rafting is offering 20 percent off gift certificates purchased by Dec. 14.

Purchase a voucher for a SC State Park Passport at any Piggly Wiggly in the state by Dec. 31 and get 20 percent off the regular price.

Sesquicentennial State Park’s Sandhills Hiking Trail was recently paved, making it more accessible to runners, strollers and wheelchairs.

The newly paved Sandhills Hiking Trail loops around Sesqui’s 30-acre lake.

Four-legged visitors explore the newly paved Sandhills Trail in Sesquicentennial Park.

Table Rock State Park will host a bluegrass jam session at its historic lodge Dec. 8. 

The 2 ¼-mile Piedmont Medical Center Trail is one of the biking amenities that helped Rock Hill earn the bronze level designation of Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. 

Outdoor Insider Marie Mcaden and Edisto Island Serpentarium owners Ted and Heyward Clamp wrestle to hold a 16-foot reticulated python.

Instead of slithering serpents, visitors will find a lighted nativity scene in the outdoor non-venomous snake observatory.

The holiday light display at the Edisto Island Serpentarium is open from 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturday through Dec. 29.

The first layer of grass and earth are removed from an excavation site on the grounds of St. George’s Anglican Church in Old Dorchester. Archeologists are looking for the foundation remains of the church and trying to delineate the boundaries of the cemetery.

Two young volunteers map the foundation wall of the kitchen house uncovered on the grounds of the Blake lot. 

A volunteer measures the depth of bricks found in an excavation unit in the church yard at Old Dorchester. 

A group of volunteers search for artifacts in an excavation site on the Blake lot.

Volunteers screen architectural debris excavated from the ground and sort through artifacts in an outdoor lab set up at Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site. 

These 30-foot cascades are formed by the Chauga River and Ramsey Creek. The waterfall is easily accessible inside Chau Ram County Park.

Chau Ram County Park offers lots of great spots on the river to cool off in the summer. Young children will enjoy swimming at one of the sandy beaches. The more adventurous in your crew can slide over rocks into catch pools.

Chau Ram County Park offers visitors a beautiful setting to camp, swim, fish or just spend an afternoon with the kids.

A suspension bridge provides access to both sides of the Chauga River.

The last of a series of three falls, this 35-drop is narrow, but steep, ending in a cove of calm water.

Brasstown Falls in Sumter National Forest tumbles 120 feet in three dramatic drops. To get to the Brasstown Veil, the second in the series, you’ll have to hike down steep and rocky terrain.

This 50-foot cascade is the first of three consecutive drops that make up Brasstown Falls.

Overlook offers views of Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.

From the Sassafras Mountain overlook, which sits just shy of the 3,560-foot peak, you can see four states — South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.

The Sassafras Mountain overlook is a short, easy walk from the parking lot. Those looking to venture farther into the forest can access the Foothills Trail and hike 4.7 miles to Chimneytown Gap.

South Carolina hosts three nationally known steeplechase races each fall. The sport combines the speed of horse racing with the precision of jumping.

Victoria Valley Vineyards is located on 47-acres in the Upstate community of Cleveland. The site was chosen for its elevation and unique soil structure to grow and produce vinifera wines.

The French chateau-styled winery offers views of the surrounding mountains and one of Victoria Valley Vineyard’s fields of grapevines.

The Victoria Valley Vineyards label features a drawing of Table Rock and the adjacent Stool Mountain.

Victoria Valley Vineyards offers a selection of sandwiches and salads on the winery terrace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 12 to 3 p.m. Sundays.

You won’t see the profile of Caesars Head from the state park’s overlook. You’ll need to walk down a hidden path to get a view of the granite rock from the side.

Originally established to preserve 1,800 acres of old-growth swamp forest, the Audubon Center at Beidler Forest is home to some mighty impressive trees — many of them as much as 1,000 years old.

Beidler Forest is part of the Four Holes Swamp, a 45,000-acre matrix of black water sloughs and lakes, shallow bottomland hardwoods and deep bald cypress and tupelo gum flats. These yellow-bellied sliders were paddling in Gibson Lake, one of the “holes” in the Four Holes Swamp.

A brown water snake stretches out on a tree that fell in Four Holes Swamp.

Learn how to identify birds like this painted bunting at the South Carolina Wildlife Federation’s two-day birding course being offered at various locations throughout the state.

Naturalist Josh Arrants, one of the instructors teaching the Palmetto Pro Birders course, shows off a kestrel.

Students in the Palmetto Pro Birders course use binoculars to look for species migrating through the Santee National Wildlife Refuge.

This time of year, the Upstate begins to burst out in color. Check the State Park Service’s weekly report on fall foliage at www.southcarolinaparks.com.

An osprey flies off with a baby shark caught in the ocean off Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet. Photo by Phil Lanoue

This alligator thought he had found himself a tasty mid-morning snack. When he realized it was just a rubber sandal, he spit it out. The photograph, shot at Huntington Beach State Park by Phil Lanoue, was picked up by newspapers, TV stations and websites all over the world. Photo by Phil Lanoue

A great blue heron attempts to defend his lunch from a hungry eagle. In the end, the eagle took the fish. Photo by Phil Lanoue

A Roseate Spoonbill checks out the tail of a young alligator at Huntington Beach State Park. Photo by Phil Lanoue

An alligator snatches up a blue crab at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet. Photo by Phil Lanoue

An anhinga uses his beak to spear a small fish at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet. Photo by Phil Lanoue

An alligator makes off with a butterfly ray. Photo by Phil Lanoue

An egret nabs a fish at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet.

The Horseback Waterfalls Tour offers a unique way to experience the fall foliage.

One of the horseback waterfalls tours takes riders through a covered bridge.

Riders pose for a photo in front of a waterfall.

Outdoor Insider Marie McAden and her husband Jim stop in front of one of the waterfalls on the Horseback Waterfalls Tour.

Riders take a break to enjoy a close up view of a waterfall.

It’s not so scary from the safety of the river bank, but this Class IV rapid regularly makes swimmers out of rafters.

The infamous Bull Sluice falls 14 feet over two drops.

The Chattooga River was designated a National Wild & Scenic River by Congress in 1974. A corridor about a quarter-mile wide on either side of the river is protected from development, preserving the natural beauty of the mountainous terrain.

A trail from the parking lot takes you to the Highway 76 bridge where you can get a view of the Chattooga River downstream from Bull Sluice.

A kayaker lifts a fallen tree limb to allow fellow paddlers easy passage through a particularly narrow section of the creek.

A secluded, flat-water tributary, Congaree Creek in Cayce offers more twists and turns than a corkscrew. You’ll need a short boat to navigate around fallen trees and strainers found all the way along the winding creek.

This sea dog checks out the scenery riding high in the front end of a canoe.

The city’s signature park overlooks more than 14 acres of green space and includes a 1.8-acre lake and waterfall.

The centerpiece of Finlay Park is a beautiful fountain and waterfall that sends water cascading down mountain-like streams through landscaped terraces into a 1.8-acre lake.

Finlay Park also offers a cool playground shaded by trees.

The park is named after former Columbia Mayor Kirkman Finlay, who had the vision to transform the Vista section of downtown between Main Street and the river into a shopping and entertainment district. A statue of Finlay sitting on a park bench can be found alongside the lake.

Park visitors enjoy the view of the city center from a swing above the fountain.

Guests staying in the Table Rock Room at The Inn at Table Rock will wake up each morning to a fantastic view of the famed granite dome.

Breakfast is one of the highlights of a stay at The Inn at Table Rock. This couple was enjoying a cup of coffee after a breakfast of crème brulée French toast with brandied peach syrup.

The Table Rock Room features a queen sleigh bed, antique furnishings, wet bar and jetted tub, along with a picture-perfect view of Table Rock.

Conveniently located off the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, the Inn at Table Rock offers relaxing accommodations with a stunning view of the namesake geologic landmark.