Hunting Island State Park — Attraction in South Carolina

It's a nice park. Beaches are wild, no development, it's not a tourist town, the whole island is a state park, so there is nothing here if you are looking for stores and restaurants you will have to drive to Beaufort. There are a few restaurants not too far on the way to town though. We enjoyed nature and how quiet this place is. Not many people on beaches. Low tide beach is huge with a 'river' of slow flowing water and puddles where kids can play and look for crabs and shells. It's amazing to ride electric bikes on the beach, there are hardly any people on the north side. The trails we have found were not really bike friendly if you have kids with you. Make sure you stop by the lighthouse (you can drive there in a car) and nature center. There is a huge dock at the nature center where people can fish. Also from that parking lot (nature center) there is a trail (pretty wide gravel one, golf cart would go and also adults bikes ok, but not very good for kids because of the big size gravel), it will take you to that skeleton beach, where all the follen trees are laying on the beach, it's something worth seeing. The beach at the campsite is all clear, no trees there. There is a camp store at the campsite, it has ice, ice cream, camping stuff, souvenirs. I took one star out because the mosquitoes are horrible at this park, worst I ever experienced at any park ever. It was so bad we had to go to Walmart to buy some sprays to spray our camper. There will literally be a ton of them in the camper. Couldn't sit outside in the evening without being eaten alive. The other thing, racoons are really bad. They managed to open our cooler that has safety hinges (not easy to open), and ate our food and got everything dirty. They would unzip backpacks and cooler bags, they would get on a table and get everything dirty. Deer also is not scared to come close but don't cause issues like that. Racoons were not scared to get very close, like inches to where you sit, to get to your bags. Another thing was the bathrooms, the one by the beach had no AC, extremely hot and humid in June, I thought I would pass out there. The one by our campsite had no warm water one day and it was not clean , showers had hair on the floor and smelled like urine. Other than those issues we had, it is a great campsite. Maybe I only wish the walk to the beach from our campsite was shorter. I see people bring or rent golf carts, it's a good idea, especially if your campsite is far from the beach entrance. Walking with small kids in extreme heat is not fun when everyone is tired. Our campsite was very private and had shade. Most campsites are good size with some trees and privacy, the ones closer to the beach entrance have less privacy. Tent sides only have palm trees really so not very private. Honestly I don't know how people stay in a tent there with no power during the summer. It gets very hot and humid, plus mosquitoes and racoons that WILL unzip your tent from what I have heard, but maybe I'm just too old for that kind of adventure. Anyway, RV sites are pretty nice. Bring bug spray, large outside fan, put something heavy on your cooler or secure it so racoons won't eat and destroy your food. There is a nice bike trail in Beaufort Mossy Oak trail or something like that, but no motorized vehicle, I guess that includes electric...

We visited Hunting Island in mid April 2021. I have been to Hunting Island campground 4 times before, but the last time was over 11 years ago. A lot has changed. The biggest change was the deletion of RV campsites 3-88, which used to be closer to the beach. I believe these were wiped out in a hurricane and it was decided to not rebuild the sites (i.e., repair the electric and water lines). This is very sad to me, as I remember camping in site 47 (see 2010 map photo attached) and it was right on the edge of the beach line, where the high tide would come right up to the embankment of the site. The closest you can get to the beach in an RV now is sites 89 and up, and there is primative tent camping now where the RV sites used to be. I hope the state of South Carolina will one day decide to rebuild those beach-side sites as they were absolutely beautiful back then. (I also noted the loss of a LOT of tree's that used to be both on beach side and the drive in by camping sites 130-147). A positive is that when we visited in April, there were no downed tree's on the beach anywhere that I could see. Now onto the pros and cons that I see on visiting Hunting Island. PROS: Hunting Island still is a beautiful park with fantastic beaches (see my photos) that are absolutely beautiful. If you are camping during the week you can practically at times have the whole beach to yourself. There are deer in the campground and will visit you each nite if you are outside. Another PRO is...you can walk your dogs on the beach anywhere except where there is a bird sanctuary (north end of island, and it is marked). My dog absolutely is crazy about the beach and we've only been to one other park where she was allowed on the beach at all. The island has a nice trail that is a little hilly connecting the campground to the lighthouse that is very shady and beautiful. There is opportunities to visit St. Phillips island (we did not). The lighthouse is another PRO, but be aware that you have to make a reservation the day before as they limit people going up the lighthouse. CONS: The drive from I-95 is a little convoluted and takes you on State Roads for about 45 mins to get to the park. Once you get to the park, there is a very narrow bridge to access the park (Larger RV's will have to be very careful if another RV is coming in their direction when crossing). This bridge is slated to be replaced very soon by a modern one, and during our stay they actually had to open the new bridge for a short time due to the old one getting stuck open. You will have to plan your groceries carefully, as the nearest Publix/Walmart/Food Lion is approximately 11 miles away. WIFI in the park is good if you are within the first row of campsites by the store, but otherwise you will have to use data, and my wife's phone could not get a reliable cellular signal during the entire trip. Hunting Island is one of the most popular destinations in South Carolina, so you need to make reservations way out in advance, and these could be impacted by weather (particularly during hurricane season). However, if you can get a good site, and the weather is good, I guarantee you will enjoy this location, even with the best...

Hunting Island State Park has always been my favorite park which is close to home (I live near Savannah). Until this past weekend, I had only hiked here. I finally got to camp with friends this past Halloween weekend. We got an RV site as opposed to the tent only section. With the RV sites, you're allowed 2 vehicles, 2 tents (3 if they're small & don't encroach on your neighbors sites) and you have a little more space/privacy. With the tent only sites, you're closer to the beach which means you'll get more wind and you have to park your vehicle in the parking lot. You then have to carry your gear to your site (which isn't too far away but worth sharing if that's an issue for some).

The parks general store is very well stocked with items you may have forgotten or find that you may need during your stay. It also has a number of nice souvenir items to choose from. The comfort stations/shower houses are well maintained. My only complaint is that there were no trash cans in the restrooms nor any outside the general store. All trash must be taken to the dumpsters at the entrance. As avid campers, we understand that the raccoons/animals are an issue but there are receptacles designed to detour animal intrusion which should be purchased (this would be my only criticism).

The staff were helpful and friendly. This is an overall well maintained park. It appeared as though the shower houses had recently been remodeled.

The no-see-ums were pretty bad during sunrise and dusk (this was in late October) so bring your spray.

Finally, the best part about camping here is the PHENOMENAL views of the stars, especially when you are on the beach. I have never seen so many stars in one setting. Of course, hearing the waves crashing in the distance as you fall to sleep in your tent is a nice bonus as well. I will be returning to Hunting Island in the future and I would recommend this park to anyone seeking a different kind of...