Biking/active pursuits in or around Charleston?

We are planning a trip to Charleston and would like to spend part of our days being active.....road biking, possibly kayaking or canoeing, even hiking. Any thoughts on good trails or routes for road biking (we will need to rent since we are flying) or other suggestions. Also, what are your top sights to see in Charleston -- we will be on a short trip so want to get a little of everything in. Thank you!

Biking/active pursuits in or around Charleston?

The folks at Coastal Expeditions conduct some excellent kayak tours. I recommend them highly. They also run a ferry over to Bull Island, a wildlife refuge just north of Charleston. It%26#39;s an excellent way to kill a day, do some hiking, and visit a pristine beach. http://www.coastalexpeditions.com/

If you prefer to rent kayaks and venture out on your own, I recommend Time Out Sports - http://www.timeoutsports.net/ They%26#39;ll fix you up and recommend some good areas to match your interests and capabilities.

Biking/active pursuits in or around Charleston?

Thanks...since it will be April, we would probably be more certain that biking weather would be good. Any ideas from anyone on rentals, paths, anything outside town or driving distance to try (we are mainly road or hybrid bikers)?

April is a great time to paddle in the Charleston area!!! It%26#39;s paddling weather down there all year round, we had a several great paddling trips while we were there in December!!!

Kayaking would be a great way to see some of the real beauty of the lowcountry. Ralph, at the link below, is a great guy and does wonderful trips through the ACE Basin (Asheepoo, Combahee %26amp; Edisto Rivers). Marshlands, black water, rice plantations, April is a great time to view alligators.

www.kayakcharleston.com

If you call Ralph, tell him Beth sent you!

Enjoy!

Oops! It should have been...

www.kayakcharleston.net

Sorry!

One long trip you could make is to rent a bike in town and bike over the Ravenel Bridge. From there I would bike to the islands (just continue straight as you get off the bike/pedestrian lane) and keep going straight. In a couple of minutes you%26#39;ll be going over Shem Creek and if you keep going straight a few more minutes you%26#39;ll be crossing over the marsh onto Sullivan%26#39;s Island. If you turn right you can bike out to Ft. Moultrie and visit the fort and museum. Then double back, staying on the island (don%26#39;t cross back over to Mt. Pleasant) and bike north to Isle of Palms. If you want, you can bike on the beach. Bike as far as possible north then turn around and cross over the marsh at the Isle of Palms Connector.

A popular biking road (though narrow, but luckily not too heavily traveled) is Rifle Range Road (which, if you go right will take you away from Charleston continuing north; left will take you back to near the Shem Creek area in a few miles).

There are ';official'; bike trails in the Francis Marion National Forest area - www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=10224 shows you info on that. I think that would be the most interesting one as the bridge views, Shem Creek, the beaches and some of the historic areas in northern Mt. Pleasant. The SC Parks site might have more info for you - just select this region (lowcountry). http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/