Hunting Island State Park in SC – Great Family Vacation!

Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina © Katrena

South Carolina's Hunting Island State Park, near Fripp Island, Port Royal, and Beaufort, offers a great opportunity to camp at the beach for a reasonable price. My family has camped at Hunting Island several times, and this is one of our favorite vacation destinations.

Camp at the Beach in SC © Katrena

Camp at the Beach

One of the greatest assets at Hunting Island is the location. You can actually see the beach from some campsites, while others are a short walk from the shore. Loggerhead turtles typically come to this beach to lay their eggs, and a large number of volunteers help protect the natural beauty and natural habitat of this gem on the South Carolina coast.

Camp at the Beach with the Kids © Katrena

My kids have loved playing in the sand and going out and playing in the surf at Hunting Island. I would highly recommend wearing sandals or flip flops when going to the beach because the sand can get pretty hot on the dry spots. I've seen people of all ages fly kites, walk dogs, look for seashells or sand dollars or sharks' teeth, or simply enjoy the vast beauty of the ocean and Hunting Island State Park.

Learn About Wildlife at Hunting Island © Katrena

Outdoor and Indoor Educational Programs

The teacher in me loves all of the educational opportunities at Hunting Island. Campers have free entry into the state park that has a nature center where you can learn more about the lighthouse on the island and you might even catch a glimpse of the resident alligator.

Learn About Environment at Hunting Island © Katrena

You not only get a chance to learn about the lighthouse, but visitors may also climb to the top of it. They do have height restrictions (at least 44 inches), but those with smaller children can still walk into the lighthouse and look up to see the staircase majestically winding around the tower.

Hunting Island Lighthouse © Katrena

They offer quite a few hands-on learning opportunities while walking through the woods or on the beach. Groups can learn about marine wildlife while taking a walk on the beach or saltwater marsh and land wildlife while walking in the woods or at the boardwalk. Programs might focus on animal tracks or habitats, seashell identification, protecting the environment, nautical communication, tying knots, etc.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles and Other Wildlife at Hunting Island © Katrena

The park office by the fishing pier offers a nice variety of educational displays, some of which are interactive. My kids particularly liked seeing the baby loggerheads that were rescued and viewing the large collection of shark teeth.

Explore Saltwater Marsh at Hunting Island © Katrena

Many of the educational programs are free or offered at a small fee. A few require pre-registration.

Active Play at Hunting Island State Park © Katrena

Great Variety of Family-friendly Activities

The girls and I love to hop on bikes and ride around the campground. Other campers tend to be quite friendly, and many of them bring their dogs. My girls are particularly fond of the playground because my two youngest learned how to go across the monkey bars there.

Deer at Hunting Island © Katrena

Times near dawn and dusk often give you the opportunity to see deer that like to visit many of the campsites. Fishing, kayaking, and boating are popular activities at or near the park. I would highly recommend mosquito repellant and sunscreen for outdoor activities.

Playground in Beaufort SC © Katrena

Wardle Family YMCA Splash Pad © Katrena

Beaufort is about 30 minutes away, and they have two nice playgrounds, informative tours of the town, and a famous candy store called The Chocolate Tree. The Wardle Family YMCA in Port Royal has a splash pad with a wading pool that my kids loved.

Campsites at Hunting Island State Park © Katrena

Nice Campsites

We walked around the campground trying to determine favorite sites that we might pick for the next vacation. I ended up listing so many sites that I gave up! The vast majority of them are shaded with plenty of room. The campground also has quite a few bathhouses. The raccoons love to feast on any food that is left out at night, even if the food is in a cooler, so ensure that your food is properly stored before dark!

The SC state parks web site is quite thorough and gives detailed information about what each site has to offer. If you have a particular site in mind, you would be wise to make reservations many months ahead of time because the campground does tend to fill up quickly.

Fun Things to do at Hunting Island © Katrena

Overall, I would highly recommend Hunting Island State Park if you enjoy camping and the beach. Even those who prefer to camp in the woods will likely enjoy this campground because the sites in loop 6 in particular are wooded and many are quite spacious. Several primitive campsites are also available in more deeply wooded areas. They offer a wide variety of kid-friendly indoor and outdoor activities and the natural beauty is amazing.

Find more of my travel-related articles at the Love 2 Travel With Kids site map.