Francis Marion Gravel Ride: The Yellow Jacket Loop

Verified September 28, 2026 against the USDA Forest Service (the Francis Marion Motor Vehicle Use Map, Forest Service road, trail and recreation site records, forest orders and alerts), SCDNR’s 2026 to 2027 hunting regulations, the South Carolina Code of Laws and USGS elevation data. Forest roads close for burns, storms and logging, so check the alerts before every ride.

Mountain riders earn their views one switchback at a time. In the Francis Marion National Forest, nobody climbs anything. This loop never gets more than about 37 feet above sea level, and its gravel roads carry names like Yellow Jacket, Burned Cane and Farewell Corner.

It’s a friendly first taste of coastal gravel: about 11.8 miles from a free Forest Service picnic area in Huger, almost all of it on national forest roads, with an easy out-and-back for new riders and an add-on for anyone who wants more.

The ride at a glance

• Start and finish. Huger Recreation Area on SC 402 in Huger (33.1344, -79.8120). Free, day use only.
• Distance. About 11.8 miles: about 10.8 miles of Forest Service gravel roads plus about half a mile of SC 402 at each end.
• Climbing. None worth the name. The route stays between about 12 and 37 feet above sea level.
• Surface. The Forest Service lists every road on the loop as crushed aggregate, or gravel. Expect loose spots, sand in dry weather and puddles after rain.
• Best bike. A gravel bike with tires about 40 mm or wider, or a mountain bike. Wider tires float better through sand.
• Time. 1 to 2 hours of riding.
• Cost. Free.

Getting to the start

Huger Recreation Area is a small Forest Service picnic spot beside Huger Creek, with picnic tables, a shelter and grills. The Forest Service calls it “a scenic, shady wayside rest.”

• From Charleston. Take US 17 north to SC 41 and turn left. At Huger, bear left on SC 402. The recreation area is about 3 miles up SC 402, at Huger Creek near Copperhead Road. About half a mile before you get there, you’ll pass Irishtown Road (FS 251F) on your right. That’s where the gravel starts.
• From Moncks Corner. Take US 17-A north, turn right on SC 402 and drive 13 miles to the recreation area on the right.

It’s open all year for day use only, and camping isn’t allowed. The Forest Service’s page for the site lists no restroom information and says drinking water isn’t available, so arrive with full bottles. Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight; the Forest Service warns that a few forest visitors may find their cars broken into.

The route, turn by turn

Every road on this loop is on the Forest Service’s free Motor Vehicle Use Map by number, so download it before you lose signal. Mileages restart at each turn.

1. From the recreation area, ride south on SC 402 across Huger Creek. In about half a mile, turn left on Irishtown Road (FS 251F). After about 0.1 mile, bear left on Yellow Jacket Road (FS 159).
2. Ride Yellow Jacket Road northeast for 3.8 miles. You’ll go straight through the crossroads with Lotti Road at 1.3 miles, cross the Palmetto Trail and the Jericho Horse Trail at about 1.9, and cross Conifer Road at 2.4. About 0.2 mile past Conifer Road, you cross SC 41, a paved state highway. Stop, look both ways and cross together. At 3.8 miles, turn right on Thomas Road (FS 168).
3. Ride Thomas Road south for 1.4 miles and turn right on Burned Cane Road (FS 167).
4. Ride Burned Cane Road west for 1.4 miles, crossing the horse trail again early on, to its end at Conifer Road (FS 166). Turn right.
5. In 0.5 mile, turn left on Lotti Road (FS 251H). If the road under you turns to pavement, you’ve missed the turn.
6. Ride Lotti Road northwest for 2.1 miles. About 1.3 miles in, you cross SC 41 again, then the Palmetto Trail. At the crossroads with Yellow Jacket Road, turn left.
7. Ride Yellow Jacket Road southwest for 1.3 miles. Turn right on Irishtown Road, then right on SC 402 for the half mile back to the recreation area.

Shorter or longer

• Shorter, with no highway crossing. Ride Yellow Jacket Road out and back. Turn around at the Lotti Road crossroads for about 3.8 miles round trip from the recreation area, or at Conifer Road for about 6 miles.
• Longer. At step 2, skip the turn onto Thomas Road and stay on Yellow Jacket Road for about 3 more miles to the crossroads with Farewell Corner Road (FS 161). Turn around there, since Yellow Jacket Road leaves national forest land just past it, and ride back to Thomas Road to finish the loop. That adds about 6 miles, for about 18 in all.

Surface, sand and standing water

The Forest Service rates Yellow Jacket and Conifer roads at maintenance level 4 of 5 and the rest of the loop at level 3, “suitable for passenger cars.” Ratings aren’t conditions, though. Coastal forest roads can turn soft and sandy in a dry spell and hold standing water after heavy rain. The lowest stretch is the first mile or so of Yellow Jacket Road near Huger Creek, at about 12 feet above sea level.

The Forest Service also warns that weather and natural events can leave its roads impassable for long stretches. In August 2024, damage from Tropical Storm Debby closed two bridges in this forest, including the Lottie bridge on Lotti Road (FS 251H), which has since reopened. After a big storm, call the district before you drive out.

Hunting season: wear orange

This part matters. The whole Francis Marion is in SCDNR’s Wildlife Management Area program, and this loop sits in Hellhole WMA, with Northampton WMA just to the south.

South Carolina law requires everyone on WMA land during deer season to wear a hat, coat or vest of solid international orange. SCDNR’s summary of the rule exempts only certain hunters: migratory bird hunters, and archery hunters during archery-only seasons. On Hellhole WMA, the 2026 to 2027 deer season runs Sept. 15 to Jan. 1, so from mid-September through New Year’s Day, orange isn’t optional. An orange vest or jacket covers it. The Forest Service adds a good tip: skip white and tan clothing in deer season, because a flash of white can look like a deer’s tail.

Deer hunts with dogs are the days to stay home. Here are the rest of 2026’s dates:

Hunting doesn’t stop at New Year’s. Sunday hunting is allowed on the forest from Oct. 15 to Jan. 31 (no deer dogs on Sundays), still hog hunts run March 1 to 6, hog hunts with dogs run March 15 to 20 and May 17 to 22, and spring turkey season runs April 3 to May 3, 2027. Wear orange whenever hunters might be out, and check SCDNR’s Game Zone 3 WMA rules for the current season.

Closures, gates and burns

• Gates. The Motor Vehicle Use Map lists every road on this loop as open to street-legal vehicles all year, so there are no seasonal gates on the route. If you find a gate closed or a road posted closed anyway, turn around. A forest-wide order bans any kind of vehicle on a road closed by sign, gate or barricade, and federal rules count anything that carries a person as a vehicle. That includes your bike.
• Side roads. At last check, some side roads off Yellow Jacket Road were closed, including FS 159B and Big Island Road (FS 165). Stay on the route.
• Prescribed burns. The Forest Service burns parts of this forest on purpose to reduce fuel and improve forest health, and a burn can close roads and trails for the day. On March 11, 2026, an 838-acre burn off SC 41 and Conifer Road closed part of the Palmetto Trail right next to this loop.
• Where to check. The Francis Marion and Sumter alerts page lists road closures. Or call the Francis Marion Ranger District at (843) 336-2200, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Heat, bugs and staying safe

• Water. There’s no confirmed drinking water at the start or on the route. Carry more than you think you need, and don’t drink from creeks: the Forest Service says even clear-looking water is likely to carry parasites.
• Heat and bugs. For its Palmetto Trail passage here, the Forest Service warns of biting insects and high temperatures in the warm months, and it says ticks are common in this forest. In summer, ride early, wear repellent and do a tick check afterward.
• Snakes. Give them room and leave them alone, as the Forest Service advises.
• No signal. The Forest Service warns that cell phones don’t work in many areas of the Francis Marion and that medical help may not be readily available. Download the map, ride with a friend and tell someone your route and return time.
• Carry a kit. Spare tube, pump, tire levers, a multi-tool and a little first aid. Nobody is driving by with a floor pump.

Rules of the road

• Bikes are welcome on the roads. The Forest Service lists mountain biking and road cycling among the forest’s activities. Its forest-wide order keeps bikes off trails that aren’t designated and posted for them, and off closed roads. The Palmetto Trail’s Swamp Fox Passage, which you cross twice, is open to hikers and mountain bikers if you want a detour onto dirt.
• Share the road. These roads are open to cars and trucks. Ride on the right, go single file on curves and give big trucks all the room they want.
• Horses and hikers. Slow down at trail crossings, and say hello to riders on horseback so their horses know you’re a person.
• E-bikes. Check first. The Forest Service’s national policy allows Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes on roads open to motor vehicles, but on the Francis Marion every road on the Motor Vehicle Use Map is marked open to highway-legal vehicles only. Call the district before you bring one.
• Wilderness. Bikes aren’t allowed in national forest wilderness. This route doesn’t enter any.
• Private land. The white patches on the Motor Vehicle Use Map aren’t national forest. Stay on the road and respect private land.
• Leave no trace. Pack out every wrapper and every dead tube.

Fees and permits

Parking at Huger Recreation Area is free, according to the Forest Service’s recreation site records, and we found no fee or permit for riding the forest roads. SCDNR’s WMA permit is for hunters, but the orange rule above applies to you. Planning a group ride or event? Ask the district about permits first.

Ride for every body

Flat gravel is about as welcoming as riding off pavement gets, and you set the distance.

• Easiest. The Yellow Jacket Road out-and-back to the Lotti Road crossroads: about 3.8 miles round trip, flat, with no highway crossing. Feeling good? Go on to Conifer Road for about 6 miles.
• Not confirmed. Accessible parking, picnic facilities and restrooms at Huger Recreation Area, and whether e-bikes or adaptive cycles may use these roads. Call the Francis Marion Ranger District at (843) 336-2200 before you count on them.
• Heat is the hard part. A short ride on a cool morning beats a long one at 2 p.m. in July.

For more easy-access trips, see our Accessibility Guide.

Make a day of it

The Francis Marion is a paddler’s forest too. Trade wheels for a boat on our Francis Marion Blackwater Creek Paddle, or head for the islands on the Cape Romain NWR & Bull Island Paddle. Staying the night? Our First-Come, First-Served Campgrounds list covers Forest Service camps in the Francis Marion. For more rides, see the Gravel Cycling hub and the Biking hub.

Now go outside and play. Wear the orange.

Top photo: Francis Marion NF1 by Daniel Barcelona, CC BY-SA 3.0.