Hunting Island
Explore Nature at its Best
Hunting Island, just 10 minutes from Fripp, offers a day of exploring and is one of South Carolina's most popular state parks. With 5 miles of beaches, a salt water lagoon and thousands of acres of marsh and maritime forest, you'll enjoy all that nature has to offer. The island is also home to the only publicly accessible lighthouse in the state. Hunting Island Lighthouse is a must see on your visit, offering beautiful views of the barrier island and surrounding seascape. And don't miss a visit to the Nature Center. You'll find live animals and exhibits as well as special programs throughout the year. Check out Local Fun for more off-island adventures while enjoying your Fripp Island Vacation.
South Carolina’s newest Ultimate Outsiders were made today ON National South Carolina Day!! How cool?! 🤩🙌🏼48 state parks and lots of beautiful places in our gorgeous state! 🌴 scstateparks
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Ellie and I began this 4 years ago and had almost finished when I added baby brother, Elias to the family and adventures too. We had to work to catch him up and finish together! And Eric has been so helpful and supportive helping us get to places after vacations, encouraging us to have adventures, and cheering us on!
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#ultimateoutsider #scstateparks #comeoutandplay #explore #travel #adventure #familyadventures #familytravel #sc #carolinagirl #carolinaboy #southcarolina #discover_sc #lowcountry #huntingisland #huntingislandstatepark
4D Music on a Sunday, “it’s like I’m running in strawberry fields with You
Oh taste and see/Oh taste and see
Beautiful in all Your ways
Matchless in Your perfect peace
Open up my heart to taste
The wonders of Your endless grace” johnmarkpantana tomatovineproduce
#strawberryfields #roadtrip #cdplayer #totheocean #huntingislandsc #4dexperience
More Hunting Island Beach sunrise magic.
#huntingislandstatepark #sunrise #HDR #beaufort #SC
Day One of Vacation - Hunting Island State Park 🏝
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#huntingislandstatepark #huntingisland #huntingislandsc #beaufortsc #southcarolina #civilwar #sthelenaisland #vacation #travel #travelgram #summer #nature #travelphotography #beach #trip #love #photography #photooftheday #wanderlust #traveling #adventure #travelling #explore #tourism #travelblogger #sea #beautiful #picoftheday #fun #tourist
Flow, part 3
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I would never have put South Carolina at the top of my landscape bucket list, but it produced one of my favorite pictures of 2024. This is Boneyard Beach at Hunting Island State Park.
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05.15.24
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#southcarolina #huntingislandstatepark #exploreusa🇺🇸 #earthcapture #earthpix #seascapephotography #landscapelovers #beachphotography
age,old roots, and the sea. #lowtidevisits #huntingislandsc #roots #artandnature #sculpture #grain
Where the Lowcountry meets the lowest country. (Water is country too, right?🤔) #HuntingIsland #HuntingIslandLighthouse (5/30/16)
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#HuntingLight #HuntingIslandStatePark #SummerInTheSouth #CharlestonCityMarket #charlestonsc #charleston #chucktown #takemetochs #CHSForLife #explorecharleston #lowcountry #palmettostate #insta_carolina #charlestonphotographer #discoversc #visitsc #southcarolina #southern_sights #SouthernLiving #CoastalLiving #TravelAndLeisure #TLWorldsBest #ForbesTravelGuide #thesoutherncollective #tlpicks #CharlestonLowcountryPhotography
The schooner Mary Ann departed Havana in September 1822 with a cargo of fruit, sugar and molasses bound for her homeport of Charleston, SC. Another ship reported her abandoned and barely afloat off the Georgia coast following a hurricane. A few days later she was found washed ashore on Hunting Island, SC. Mary Ann’s Captain was returning with $60,000 in gold and silver coins; payment for a cargo of consigned goods delivered to Havana. Thirty-eight years later, a lighthouse was put in service on the island, but by 1888 it was threatened by erosion. The lighthouse had been constructed with bolt on iron panels, in case it would have to be moved and over a period of two years the lighthouse, keeper’s house and maintenance buildings were disassembled and moved inland 1 ¼ miles. Workmen on the project found gold and silver coins along the shore of what is now Hunting Island State Park Beach. It was common for merchant captains to carry large amounts of gold and silver coins to pay for cargos or as payment for delivered cargos. MARY ANN WILL BE AT BOOTH 43 AT ART IN THE PARK IN MARIETTA, GEORGIA September 3-5.
#marineart #marineartist #maritimeart #maritimeartist #maritimehistory #sailship #sailingships #sailingship #sailships #shipwrecks #shipwreck #schooner #mariettaartinthepark #packardnauticalart #nauticalart #nauticaldrawing
#lostships #nauticalchartart #nauticalhistory #nauticalartist
#shipwreckart #mariettaartinthepark #mariettasquare #nauticaldecor #huntingislandsc #artparkmarietta #nauticalchart
Gorgeous mama to be ✨
#maternitv #maternitysession #beachsession #sUnsetsession #maternityshoot #babyboy #kmphotography #kayleemasonphotography
#hiltonhead #hiltonheadisland
#hiltonheadphotographer #lowcountry #photographer #huntingislandbeach
#huntingislandstatepark
Lighthouse vacation. 114 steps + 167 steps = tired legs 😁. #HarborTownSC #HuntingIslandSC
Hunting Island State Park near Beaufort, South Carolina attracts more than a million visitors every year making it the state’s most visited state park. With five miles of palm tree lined beaches, more than 5000 miles of Lowcountry including marsh and maritime forest, a saltwater lagoon, and the historic Huntington Island Lighthouse, it is easy to see why the park is so loved. Some also know of the park because many of the Vietnam scenes in Forrest Gump were filmed on the island.
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Hunting Island State Park was developed into a state park in the 1930s as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal Program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide jobs during the Great Depression. The land was donated in 1938 by Beaufort County and the park is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The island retains its colonial designation of the “Hunting Islands,” serving as hunting grounds for Lowcountry planters and elite in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Wildlife on the island today include deer, alligators, raccoons, diamondback rattlesnakes, hundreds of species of birds including egrets and herons, and loggerhead turtles. Every summer loggerhead turtle hatchlings emerge from the sand and walk to the ocean. Up to 130 nests are laid annually and are protected by volunteers.
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Hunting Island has suffered major beach erosion in the last forty years and is expected to shrink in size by ten percent in the next forty years. #southernreverie
Hunting Island Lighthouse #huntingislandstatepark #huntingislandsc #huntingislandlighthouse
Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina #roadtrip #huntingislandstatepark #southcarolina #seetheworldfeeltheworld
An awesome Mother`s Day. Late post. #southcarolinaliving #saltlife #beachlife🌴 #coastlife #nursesrock #nurselife💊💉 #hazeleyedgirl #beaufortsc #huntingislandsc
#huntingislandstatepark #huntingisland #scstateparks #thesunfinallycameout #ultimateoutsider #discoversc #onlyinsouthcarolina #southcarolina #inthewoods #nature #naturescenes #naturecolors #naturelovers #naturephotography #landscape #landscapephotography #explorethe47 #explorewhereyoulive #travel #travelphotography
Start your Wednesday with a fresh perspective and feisty attitude! #📷 by charley.char.kohl at Hunting Island #SCStateParks
adventures with you are my favorite 🖤☀️🌊 #huntingislandstatepark #scstateparks #scbeaches #visitbeaufort #summerbeach
Quick lunchstop
#huntingislandsc #huntingislandbeach #huntingislandstatepark #bestlunchview #beach #atlanticocean #southcarolina #roadtrip #roadtrippin
Download a trail map for Hunting Island.
UPDATE:
Exciting News! As of May 26, 2026, the Hunting Island Lighthouse is now open after extensive renovations. Visitors are welcome to tour the lighthouse and grounds.
Climb to the top (167 steps) of Hunting Island Lighthouse for fantastic views of the barrier island and surrounding waters of the Atlantic.
Make your reservation 24 hours in advance by calling 843-838-4868 during office hours - 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Mon -Fri, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Sat - Sun. Reservations may be made the same day at the park, if space is available.
The lighthouse was closed for repairs in May 2003 when cracks were discovered in several of its cast-iron steps. In a renovation that spanned more than 18 months, construction crews not only repaired the cracks, but installed steel braces beneath them for reinforcement. Left unpainted, the silver-gray braces stand out in sharp contrast to the black cast-iron stairs. The contrast helps distinguish between the original structure and modern improvements, which protect the lighthouse’s historic integrity.
The original structure was built in 1859 and rebuilt in 1875 after it was destroyed during the Civil War. A unique feature of the lighthouse is that it was constructed of interchangeable cast-iron sections so it could be dismantled should it ever need to be moved. Severe beach erosion made it necessary to relocate the lighthouse 1.3 miles inland in 1889. (Source: South Carolina State Parks)
Head to the south end of Hunting Island for an amazing visit to Little Hunting Island Boneyard Beach. Decades of wave action and changing shoreline have creating a beautiful display of "driftwood" Live oak trees and palmettos are scattered on the beach; it's an amazing sight!
Access the beach from the Nature Center Scenic Trail, a .7 mile walk through the maritime forest. Be sure and bring your camera!
Explore and learn at the Hunting Island Nature Center. With programs and exhibits available year 'round (varies by season), this is a great way to see animals up close and learn more about the natural habitants found on the island. Call for current programs 843-838-7437.
Hike through Hunting Island and discover the amazing terrain and wildlife found on this beautiful barrier island.
Twelve Easy and Moderate trails offer varying sites and discoveries through the maritime forest, around lagoons and over the salt marsh. Among the island's wildlife, look for alligators and deer as well as owls, hawks, egrets and other wading birds. Don't forget your camera!
Fishing
Enjoy a great day of fishing in Johnson Creek, the lagoon or surf fishing. You will also find great fishing from the newly refurbished pier at the south end of Hunting Island. (Pets are not allowed on the pier.)
Look for redfish, trout and flounder!
Bring your own gear or find bait and fishing equipment at the park store, which is located in the camp ground. This park also participates in the Tackle Loaner Program. Sponsored by the SC Dept. of Natural Resources, rods and reels are available for loan at the Nature Center. Learn more.
A valid SC Saltwater fishing license is required to fish anywhere on the park except at the fishing pier. Hunting Island has purchased a commercial license that covers all pier users.
