By Suzanne Welander

From Hiltonia Road to US Highway 301, about 3.2 miles. In the Savannah River watershed. Map

An intimate stream of primeval beauty near the fall line west of Augusta, Brier Creek threads a winding path through dense vegetation reminiscent of the Coastal Plain.

Brier Creek is simply a gem of a waterway, and for the most part, hospitable to boot. With the exception mentioned in the description below, access is very open. A hybrid of a winding plains stream and lowland swamp, the river corridor is intimate, private, and undeveloped. Our recent two-day float was exceedingly peaceful. While good campsites weren’t plentiful – this stream lacks the sandbars tucked into the inside curve of bends that define so many Coastal Plain rivers – they can be found. Our bottomland campsite, complete with camp toad, was blanketed in moss. (more…)