Hunting Island State Park

Tucked along the Beaufort County coastline, Hunting Island State Park spreads across 5,000 acres of undeveloped barrier island — one of the most naturally stunning stretches of beach in the Southeast. What sets it apart is the dramatic landscape of eroded shoreline, where salt-bleached trees emerge from the sand like driftwood sculptures, creating one of the most photographed scenes on the South Carolina coast.

The park’s historic lighthouse, built in 1875 and the only publicly climbable lighthouse in the state, rewards visitors with panoramic views of the Atlantic and surrounding marsh islands from its 130-foot observation deck. Below, a boardwalk winds through dense maritime forest draped in Spanish moss, connecting the beach to a lagoon popular with kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders.

Fishing is excellent here — both surf casting along the beach and casting from the fishing pier into tidal creeks teeming with redfish and flounder. Nature lovers will find abundant wildlife, from loggerhead sea turtles nesting in summer to migrating shorebirds in spring and fall.

The campground sits beneath a canopy of palmettos and live oaks, with many sites just a short walk from the ocean. It books up fast, especially from March through October, so reservations well in advance are essential.

The best time to visit is late spring or early fall, when temperatures are comfortable, crowds thin out, and the island feels close to wild. Come expecting salt air, tidal rhythms, and a coast that still looks the way it did centuries ago.

Explore Nearby

• Hunting Island Light — Lighthouse in South Carolina
• Combahee Bank Light — Lighthouse in South Carolina
• James Edwin McTeer Bridge & the Causeways scenic byway — Scenic Byway
• Old Sheldon Church Road — Scenic Byway in South Carolina
• Sumter National Forest — National Forest in South Carolina