By Rebecca Holley Forty | Hunting Island campground is located on one of the most beloved barrier sea islands in the Lowcountry; the 5,000 acre Hunting Island State Park is the most popular in South Carolina, with over a million visitors frequenting the park each year. The beautiful yet rustic heavily wooded island has a feel with its maritime forest that reminds you of a jungle or tropical Polynesian paradise, but it’s right here at home in coastal South Carolina. There’s a pure beauty when camping at Hunting Island, and the campsites are much sought after.
As soon as you see the sign pointing you to the campground and smell the sweet scent of the marsh and pluff mud, you leave the stress of life behind and enter paradise. Just being on this secluded little island is like being in a world all its own. A remote refuge. Natural, peaceful, undeveloped and untouched by anything commercial, the island offers a serene, natural, unspoiled oasis with no high rise hotels or flashing bright neon lights and the absence of condos or beach houses. No busy highways full of cruising teenagers, no noisy campsites as big as a postage stamp where no one sleeps, and no strip malls; just nature, a magical canopy of palmettos pine trees and Spanish moss-covered live oaks.
There are two types of campers at hunting island, newbies and old timers. Old timers, like myself, who have been camping at hunting island for years, are possibly the third and fourth generation of happy campers. Most of us found out about the campground from a friend, and my daughter was not quite 4 when we we’re invited for the first time on a trip to the park.
The idea of camping at the beach was a new experience for me as I had grown up visiting my sister who lived in Hilton head or going to the traditional southern beaches. All it took was one weekend at the Hunting Island Campground and I became one of those folks sitting at my computer at midnight desperately trying to snag the perfect campsite.
I’ve since come to the conclusion that any site is the perfect site.
The campground is nestled right along the edge of a pristine white sandy beach that is private-use to campers only and rarely ever crowded. Early birds catching the beautiful sunrises will often have the beach to themselves.
Campsites on the island come in all shapes and sizes from rustic and primitive to some accommodating RVs from 28 to 40 feet with some beachside sites that are just a small hike through a path to the Atlantic Ocean. Most sites, like the island, are private, wooded and shady with some low hanging trees yet have plenty of room to spread out with cozy spots to hang your hammock.
I’ve been blessed to enjoy a quarter of a century of camping at Hunting Island in all kinds of weather…breezy and chilly in a tent in the spring, sweltering and sticky in late August and the quiet mild temps of November. I’ve even braved riding out Tropical Storm Barry in 2007; after the storm passed nature gifted us with the bluest skies I’ve ever seen, and I was grateful to be at Hunting Island to see it.
The campground at Hunting Island State Park reminds me of a four season porch, offering year round enjoyment; with mild weather for much of the year although the heat of late summer can be brutal.
It might be raining in downtown Beaufort but on the island the sun is shining. Like they say, “if you don’t like the weather, come back in a hour”. The most important thing that seasoned campers learn is to be prepared for just about anything. And, be prepared to upgrade. We start out small and gradually move up, making room for all the stuff campers need to keep them happy.
Over the years I’ve Camped in a little tent, a big tent, a pop up, and a pop out camper but have now graduated to 26 foot of what I think is the perfect camper, purchased with the intent of fitting on most of the sites at my favorite place to camp.
Walking through the campground you get to see all kinds of set ups some possibly causing lots of camper envy. But often you get ideas. Camping inspires great problem solving skills.
Now, the roads on the island are definitely not for the faint of heart if you have a big-rig. Larger campers and RVs may find the narrow roads that meander through the campground harder to navigate with a few sites that are more challenging to back in and set up, though I have witnessed some pretty snazzy maneuvering through the years. Watching the bigger campers park can be a great source of entertainment. Watching couples set up camp can be even more entertaining.
Campers at the campground look out for and help each other, too. It’s like one big family, and the camaraderie is omnipresent. I’ve had countless long conversations with fellow campers, been invited to eat or enjoy some time with new found friends. We understand that we are all there for one reason; to enjoy camping at one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Almost as entertaining as the set ups are the frequent visitors to your campsite; the local wildlife including squirrels, opossums, deer, an armadillo or two, shorebirds and seabirds. Ok, maybe some guests are not so welcome like the raccoons, mosquitoes, no see ums and occasionally a rogue snake or two. Alligators call the island home as well along with the marine life, dolphins, crabs, loggerhead sea turtles to name a few.
One special treat of camping at HI is, if you time it just right, on a moonlit night in the dog days of late summer you can watch the baby sea turtles bubble up out of the sand from the safety of their nest and crawl towards the white of the crashing waves leaving behind but never forgetting the beach where it all began to hopefully return one day to lay their own eggs in the safety of a place where they are loved the most; where the Hunting island Sea Turtle conservation project works diligently to protect these endangered creatures.
A favorite past time at the Hunting Island Campground is taking early morning walks, watching the sunrise, searching for turtle tracks leading to new nests and beachcombing.
Campers searching for shells and sharks teeth early in the morning regularly boast great success . The beach offers the best strolling and biking with beautiful hard packed white sand where I’ve been known to walk even as far as the lighthouse.
Besides climbing the lighthouse for that spectacular view, the island is the perfect place to practice your photography. Every day the landscape changes. I especially love to see the sand dunes and how far they reach. Every direction that you look, there is beautiful scenery; the sunrises over the ocean, the sunsets, the breathtaking view of the salt marsh surrounding the island, all comprise unending opportunities for amazing photography.
There is just so much to do and see on the island.
The beach, one of the most beautiful on the East Coast, is worth the trip alone. I’m happy with a good book by one of my favorite Southern writers, some good tunes, some sweet tea and nothing but time to sit back (in my hammock, of course), relax and take in all that breezy, sunshiny beauty that keeps bringing us back year after year.
In addition to chilling on the beach, campers enjoy swimming, fishing the surf, fishing in Johnson’s Creek, in the lagoon or at the soon-to-be-reopened pier, touring the Nature Center and the Visitors Center, with its newly painted mural of local landmarks and scenery, walking the boardwalk and watching the fiddler crabs scooting around, hiking and biking on miles of meandering nature trails, kayaking and paddleboarding…or just plain “being.”
It’s good to know if you get a hankering to do any of these activities, there are bicycle, paddleboards and kayak rentals at Barefoot Bubba’s Surf Shop just up the road. And, they sell ice cream!
The campground store is nice, and is always well stocked for basic necessities like a cup of coffee, firewood, food items, stuff to make s’mores, t-shirts, ice, fishing tackle and bait, souvenirs; just enough to save you a trip into town.
Now if you find yourself making a trip into town, you’ve got to stay awhile. I love shopping Downtown Beaufort, the art galleries, the Chocolate Tree, Lowcountry Produce and the local restaurants are fantastic. There are several eateries to choose from, though I have my favorites. Breakfast at Blackstone’s for their Cajun shrimp and grits. You need to be there at 8 a.m. for the ringing of the ship’s bell and reciting The Pledge of Allegiance together. It’s extra special. Taking in the view overlooking the marina on the back patio at Panini’s on the Waterfront is made better only by their sangria and the wood-fired pizza. Dinner and a stroll along Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park make for a wonderful evening.
Then head back to the campground for a campfire or a midnight stroll or grab a quilt and head to the beach for stargazing and watching the moon rise over the ocean.
And at the end of another perfect day there’s nothing more peaceful than falling asleep to the soundtrack of ocean waves hitting the surf with the song of cicadas and tree frogs and the rustle of balmy breezes through the trees.
People ask me to camp at other beaches but I always tell them, “why mess with perfection?” I will keep coming back to this quiet, beautiful, natural, untouched-by- developers, perfect little island for as long as I have breath.
When the term “Happy Place” was invented, Hunting Island Beach and Campground were surely the inspiration. Because there’s just nothing like it.
Rebecca is a lifelong lover of the beach and campground at Hunting Island, just like we are. We’re thankful that she shared her feelings, passion and love for Hunting Island with us. You can find more of Rebecca’s writing, photos and muses on Facebook at Explore Hunting Island.
