Hunting Island State Park, SC
Round One at this park was mid-September 2025, following our week at The Sonesta at Hilton Head and a few days at Edisto Beach State Park. It was my first camping trip and to be completely honest, I was a little excited but mostly scared. The day before we left, I’m pretty sure I had a full-fledged panic attack. “What if we break down on the side of the road? What if something breaks on the camper and we don’t have water? What if one of us gets sick or injured? What if we both get sick and injured? And who will take care of the dogs if that happened? What if, what if, what if?” The day of departure, as I bungeed the door shut so it wouldn’t accidentally fly open while we were going down the road, I decided that the “What ifs” happen whether you are expecting them or not. I put my pink hat on my happy and oblivious head and buckled up for the adventure and good times.
As I sit typing this in the camper on our Round Two tour of Hunting Island State Park, I am grateful for this experience and grateful how it has has so gently shifted me into another adventure in this life. It’s a place where the forest meets the sea, a place so beautiful that it almost doesn’t feel real. Hunting Island is a place where you learn the rhythm of the earth with the sun rising and setting and the tides coming in and going out. Five miles of pristine beach with dolphins and sharks, deer, raccoons, sea turtles and a vast array of birds.
The campground feels like it’s tucked in a secret forest. Most of the sites are surrounded by lush greenery and at night, you can hear the waves in the ocean gently dancing upon the shore, lulling you to sleep at night beneath a sky full of bright stars. The scent of pine and salt air and the faint smell of campfire wafting through the air with the amber glow of those campfires giving you a feeling of warmth just by seeing the faint orange gleaming in the distance. Waking in the morning to the same gentle sounds of surf, combined with the noises made by the various birds who nest here. It’s so quiet here in the morning, it almost feels like the sun’s first appearance is just for you.
Hunting Island is a place for unparalleled discovery of self and of nature. Besides all of the daily wonders of nature to be experienced in the campground, there is a historic lighthouse to explore as well as a driftwood beach called “Boneyard Beach.” Two places not to be missed. And I would not be myself if I didn’t mention some good food to be had while here. For dine-in or take-out, Seaside Bar and Grill has a delicious selection of food on their menu we picked up some Brie dip and Frogmore Stew and ate for two days and it was just as delicious the second day
