Hunting Island State Park, SC

Thinking of going camping in the Carolinas??? Hunting Island State Park on the coast of South Carolina is a great place for your outdoor adventure. Located within the larger island of St. Helena near Beaufort, SC, Hunting Island State Park features wooded camping sites with beach access. There are plenty of RV camping sites as well as tent only sites. A couple of bathroom/shower facilities dot the area and there's even a small general store at the camp ground entrance. A group of us drove the 4 hours from Charlotte to this island camping getaway and had a great weekend being beach bums.

Sand was clean and beach surrounded by a big green forest. If it weren't for those trees, I could have mistaken the Atlantic for the Pacific. A walk down the beach will take you to a driftwood graveyard (as we named it) and just beyond that, a lighthouse. $2 let's you climb all the way to the top, view was worth it. Walk the other direction, take a short swim at low tide and you can explore the sand bars, just watch out for jelly fish.



Sun was mighty strong this past weekend and humidity was ridiculous. I'm still recovering from major sunburns, as well as mosquito bites. The campground is stocked with very hungry mosquitoes who take no prisoners. Also, watch out for mischievous raccoons, they'll take any food you leave out and are not afraid of you. The deer that roam the campgrounds aren't scared of people either.

There are definitely plenty of places to go camping closer to Charlotte, but if you have a long weekend (or want to take a week off), I'd definitely recommend camping on the beach in South Carolina. Fun times will be had.