Hunting Island

PARK ADVISORY

Due to safety concerns, the Hunting Island lighthouse is currently closed to tours, until repairs can be made. The lighthouse can still be viewed from the grounds and docents will be on hand to interpret and give more information about the lighthouse. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Road paving operations are in process at Hunting Island. This project is expected to take 2-3 months for completion and will involve several road closures, traffic diversions and reroutes on a daily basis. Please contact the park directly for the most up-to-date closures/reroutes and other information. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Breach Trail and the Little Hunting Island Loop are experiencing tidal influence and may become impassable after a storm or high tide.

St. Phillips Island Tours are running from Hunting Island. Click here for details or to book your tour.

HOURS

6 a.m. - 6 p.m., daily (extended to 9 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time)

OFFICE

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sa-Su

ADMISSION

$8/adult; $5/SC seniors; $4/ child age 6-15; Free for children 5 and younger

PETS

Pets are not allowed in the cabin or the cabin area, on the pier or inside the lighthouse complex. Dogs are not permitted on the tip of North Beach past the posted markers to protect critical shorebird habitat. Pets are allowed in most other outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet. Owners will be asked to remove noisy or dangerous pets or pets that threaten or harass wildlife.

Wifi Available

GET SOME GEAR!

Hunting Island State Park

Coast

Unique Features

Significant Features: Hunting Island is always changing. Migrating creatures in air and sea come and go with the seasons, and the natural forces of erosion constantly re-shape the island.

In addition to some 3,000 acres of salt marsh and more than four miles of beach, a large lagoon, created by sand dredging in 1968, has become a natural wonderland and home to such unexpected species as seahorses and barracuda.

The park’s upland areas contain one of the state’s best examples of semi-tropical maritime forest, ancient sand dunes now dominated by such vegetation as slash pines, cabbage palmetto (the state tree) and live oak.
Wildlife: Animal visitors include loggerhead turtles, which nest on the island in the summer months. On dry land and in and around freshwater ponds can be found deer and alligators, raccoons and even eastern diamondback rattlesnakes.

Hundreds of species of birds also are resident on or visit Hunting Island, including painted buntings, tanagers and orioles, along with pelicans, oystercatchers, skimmers and terns, herons, egrets and wood storks.

Hunting Island’s beaches are important for shorebirds and seabirds, which use the beach to feed, nest, and rest along their migration route. We ask all visitors to help protect these birds by giving them space, keeping out of posted areas, and keeping dogs on a leash at all times. For more information about sharing the beach with wildlife, follow this link.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Use #SCStateParks and your content could be featured here! You can also upload your photos for us to use across South Carolina State Parks' Marketing by using the Public Uploader and agreeing to the Terms & Conditions.