Hunting Island State Park

2555 Sea Island Pkwy, St Helena Island, SC 29920, USA

This beachfront state park features camping spaces, trails, ample fishing spots, and a functional lighthouse. Bike rentals are also available just before the bridge onto the island. Pack a picnic lunch and beach chairs if you visit for the day. On the island’s north end, a short walk puts you amidst a boneyard beach of fallen trees and crashing waves, offering solitude and serenity, with pelicans cruising overhead. Be sure to watch the tide chart. The beach at the northern end is wide at low tide but can be nonexistent at high.

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Escape to Hunting Island

This beachfront state park features camping spaces, trails, ample fishing spots, and a functional lighthouse. Bike rentals are also available just before the bridge onto the island. Pack a picnic lunch and beach chairs if you visit for the day. On the island’s north end, a short walk puts you amidst a boneyard beach of fallen trees and crashing waves, offering solitude and serenity, with pelicans cruising overhead. Be sure to watch the tide chart. The beach at the northern end is wide at low tide but can be nonexistent at high.

A serene, classic Lowcountry barrier island beach

I have always been partial to crystal clear water and white sand. So why, might you ask, did I buy a house in the lowcountry? Well, Hunting Island is the reason. Hunting Island is a state park just past Beaufort, SC. With camping, trails, fishing and a functional lighthouse, you cannot run out of activities. Bike rentals are also available just before the bridge onto the island. But me, I just come for the sand and surf! My perfect day on the beach . . . pack up the car with a cooler full of drinks and a picnic lunch. Grab beach chairs and a few magazines. Don’t forget a good cigar and, of course, the dogs. Hunting Island is dog friendly! Most people head to the wide expanses of sand on the southern part of the island. Those that go north tend to visit the lighthouse and move on. I, on the other hand, go to the northernmost parking lot, unload and take the path even further north. A short walk puts you midst fallen trees, driftwood and crashing waves. Perfect isolation is yours. Dig your toes in the sand. Through the ball for the dogs and enjoy the pelicans cruising overhead. This is the lowcountry. Tips: One, sand dollars are abundant. Remember though, they are living creatures you kill when you pull them from the water. Find the ones washed on the beach instead. Two, watch the tide chart. The beach at the northern end is wide at low tide but can be nonexistent at high. Three, watch the fallen trees when swimming at high tide. You do not want to meet a barnacle cover log.

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