South Carolina

Hunting Island State Park

Established: 1935
Acreage: 5,000 · 5,000-acre semitropical barrier island; designated state park 1935
Location: Beaufort County, SC ~15 mi east of Beaufort (Atlantic barrier island)
Key features: 5 miles of Atlantic Ocean beach; 1875 Hunting Island Lighthouse (only publicly accessible lighthouse in SC); maritime forest; saltwater lagoon and ocean inlet; vast salt marshes
Activities: Beachgoing, swimming, surf fishing, lighthouse climbing, hiking and biking on a 6.1-mi loop, camping (100+ sites), kayaking the lagoon
Notable: South Carolina's most-visited state park (1+ million visitors/year); the lighthouse was relocated 1.3 mi inland in 1889 due to severe beach erosion

Visits