Hunting Island, South Carolina

Hunting Island, South Carolina is located on the South Carolina coast just north of Hilton Head Island. It's also about a two hour drive south from Charleston (mainly due to there being no direct road connection). I first visited this island in January of 2008. It was another one of those weekends where, with Laura being in Iraq, I needed to keep myself busy, so I just decided on a whim to hop in the truck with the dogs and drive to the coast. When we got there, being that it was out of season, there was no attendant taking money for parking (I think the usual cost is $3). There wasn't a single car in the parking lot. We got out and started exploring the beach. I didn't do any research before-hand, so I was surprised when, around the corner from where we parked, was a beautiful lighthouse. We snapped some pictures there and read the placards about the island's history. The lighthouse was built in 1859, and then rebuilt in 1875 after it was destroyed during the Civil War. It was deactivated in 1933. Because we were there in the off season, the lighthouse was closed, but you can climb all 167 steps for a small $2.00 fee when it is open during the spring, summer, or fall.

The beach was awesome. The sand was awesome, and being that it was out of season, the dogs got to run up and down beach at free will. One of the placards also talked about the erosion problem. Apparently the island has been washing away at an alarming rate for quite some time. That explained all the downed palm trees. It made for a kind of surreal scene. We headed down the beach for quite a while till we got to the campground. Then we backtracked on one of the trails they have just inland from the beach.

The trail leads you under a canopy of palm branches from the campground, to the lighthouse, and on to the beach parking area. All in all we had a great time. We made it back to the island during the summer. The crowds were pretty overwhelming, but we still found a nice spot on the beach to lay down a towel. Dogs are welcome year round, just be sure you leash them (unless its winter and there is no one there!).