After months of extensive cleanup efforts following Hurricane Helene, the Nine Times Preserve in Pickens County has reopened to visitors, The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina announced.
Covering 560 acres and encompassing seven distinct forest types and five mountains, Nine Times Preserve is just south of S.C. Highway 11 on E Preston McDaniel Road. Home to more than 134 native wildflower species, the preserve is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy with the goal of protecting native plant and animal populations. It reopened Feb. 11.
Related: Upstate parks, trails still recovering from Hurricane Helene
“Time in the outdoors heals the soul,” said Dale Threatt-Taylor, South Carolina executive director for The Nature Conservancy. “We’re grateful for the people whose hard work allowed us to reopen the preserve.”
Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Southeast Conservation Corps assisted with trail cleanup. A crew of seven cleared more than 60 trees from the preserve’s trail system.
For more information on Nine Times Preserve, visit nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/nine-times-preserve.
