Established Camping
Hunting Island State Park Campground
About
State Park
While tent campers may use standard campsites, a designated walk-in tent camping area is available that includes tent pads, fire rings, picnic tables, no power and centralized water. A vehicle parking lot is also provided. All walk-in tent sites are a short walk away from the designated parking lot and a short walk away from the ocean. Each campground is convenient to restrooms with hot showers.
Camping Information: Two campgrounds are located at the northern end of the park near the ocean. One of the campgrounds provides individual water and electrical hookups. Some sites accommodate RVs up to 40 ft.; others up to 28 ft. Camping Reservations:
Hunting Island is South Carolina’s single most popular state park, attracting more than a million visitors a year, as well as a vast array of land and marine wildlife. Five miles of pristine South Carolina beaches, thousands of acres of marsh and maritime forest, a saltwater lagoon and ocean inlet are all part of the park’s natural allure.
Hunting Island is home to the historic Hunting Island lighthouse, built in 1859 and rebuilt in 1875 after it was destroyed during the Civil War. A unique feature of the lighthouse is that it was constructed of interchangeable cast-iron sections so it could be dismantled should it ever need to be moved. Severe beach erosion made it necessary to relocate the lighthouse 1.3 miles inland in 1889.
Hunting Island State Park camping is available at 100 campsites with water and electrical hookups, shower and restroom facilities, beach walkways and a playground. Hunting Island State Park camping reservations must be made for a minimum of two nights.
Reservation Info
To make a camping reservation or view current rates, call toll-free 1-866-345-PARK (7275) or visit our reservations page by clicking here. Rates vary by season and demand and are subject to change.
Location
Hunting Island State Park Campground is located in South Carolina
Address
2555 Sea Island Pkwy
Saint Helena Island, SC 29920
Coordinates
32.38116910306978 N
80.43370185515101 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiAvailable
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileAvailable
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- WiFi
- Showers
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
Great beach getaway
HISP has a pristine beach and well situated campground area separate from the public beach access area. Restrooms nice and clean with hot water in the shower. Washer/dryer set up as well and camp store is fully equipped and lots of souvenirs.
Campsite numbers are marked on electric boxes so kind of hard to see.
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Great place!
Pros: Beautiful beach and trails Sites felt nicely spaced out Bird watching and seeing turtle nests!
Cons: While we were here we had a big rainstorm and a lot of the sites flooded. Some sites were really unlevel/ oddly layer out No see ums! We used a box fan when sitting outside which helped a ton! But they do get through your screens so we had to keep windows closed and run ac. Only one location at park entrance to dump trash (no trash cans even in the bathrooms)
Winter camping on the beach
Nice campsites nestle next to palmetto trees and Spanish moss covered Live Oaks. Bring your bikes to fully enjoy the park. My boys loved riding on the beach and going through all the trails. I took my boys in Dec. and had the beach practically to ourselves. Shelling was great. The lighthouse wasn't open when we were there. You don't need a fishing license to fish on their pier but you will need one if you want to surf fish or fish in the lagoon. If the weather is bad the town of Beaufort is about 20mins and has a beautiful historic downtown with boutiques and restaurants. You can rent bikes for $30 for 24hrs to take to the park. A must see at the park is the Boneyard. It's an area with driftwood that kids could spend all day exploring and climbing.
All-time Favorite Campground
I’ve been camping here since I was a kid and now I take a solo trip here every year to recenter and take some time for myself. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Serene beaches, amazing hiking and biking trails all over the island, incredible lighthouse, and I always find a few shark teeth on my trips! Just make sure you seriously lock up your stuff because the raccoons are gnarly. My only complaint is that I don’t live closer, so I could go more often!
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My Favorite Campground
Gorgeous, relaxing, on the beach
Awesome Place to camp
Spent a few days here. Bugs are really bad but the area is beautiful
Favorite so far
I can’t say enough good things about this place. The site we stayed on was very spacious and shady, close to the bathhouse and playground. Beach access was a short walk away. Good camp store. Anytime we went to the beach for as far as we could see there were maybe 20 other people on the beach. So much privacy on the beach. We found several sand dollars. If you are considering this campground, go, you will never regret it
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Top favorite
There are sites for everyone. Some are private some are not. The ones closer the the beach/tent sites don’t have much shade or privacy. Most of the others have privacy. Some are level some are not. The bathhouse is clean and shower is nice. Staff is friendly. Check in was super easy. Loved the beach. Deer greeted us in the mornings. Raccoons visit throughout the day. My 1 and only complaint is that there are not trash cans throughout the campground. The only dumpster is located when you first come into the campground. BYW the lighthouse is closed for maintenance for about 6 mths . They do have wifi and the camp store does have a variety of supplies.
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LOVE this campground!
This is a GREAT campground. Staff is friendly, you are right at the beach, and there are a ton of things to do in the area. The walking trails are well kept, and the light house is nearby. You also get a free pass in the State Park with your stay at the campground.
We will definitely be back again and again.
See our larger write-up here:
https://www.ourtinycamper.com/post/a-weekend-at-hunting-island
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Beachside campground
What a lovely spot! Walking miles on the beach on mild January days sometimes without seeing anyone else! Incredible shell collections. Campsites are big, lots of palm trees may limit some campsites for big rigs so speak to someone there when booking or use pull through sites. Sites do need more gravel, some are muddy. I didn’t use bathhouse. Short walk to beach. Great camp store, need to visit.
Hunting Island Beach State Park Campground
This is a fantastic full-service campground in the heart of the Lowcountry. Enjoy walks on the beach and trails.
Nice Tent sites
We stayed in the tent sites, which are located right behind the dunes. The website says that you have to walk into your site, but you can actually bring your car in to unload. Once you have unloaded, you have to park your car in a parking area, but the parking spots are very close. There isn't a whole lot of vegetation separating the sites, but they have planted vegetation to help with this. Even with the close sight-lines to neighbors, it was great to be in an area that didn't have generators going, you could hear the surf, and have a short walk to the beach. The bathrooms were good with hot showers. I will definitely return.
Shaded Campsites
The sites are well spaced with foliage between them. Our site, 156, was very tight to get into with a 33' TT, but others are plenty big. The restrooms are exceptionally clean; A/C and heated. Lots of places to hike to, not strenuous at all. The Lighthouse climb was great. We camped at Hunting Island State Park in a Travel Trailer.
Hunting Island State Park
Nice state park and campground near the SC coast. Camp sites are walking distance to the beach. The park offers sites to visit and explore, such as a lighthouse, marsh walk and pier. The campgrounds were well maintained, with restrooms and free showers. Only down side is if they receive heavy rains the campsites nearest the beach and camp store flood.
- (7) View All
Great Trip
First time camping at Hunting Island! I have come to this beach my whole life but the camping was so fun. Our site had no shade, but we were right at the beach, and the store and bath houses were right in front and behind me. Our site had a huge yard. Plenty of room between us and the neighbors. Bugs and mosquitos were unreal but what do you expect! Had a blast and cant wait to return
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Tropical Getaway
We were welcomed into the camp by a very kind lady who was knowledgeable on all the adventures we could take from the campsite. The camp sites were very clean and pretty hidden away, we could hardly even see our neighbors from the site. My only problem was that there were no sewers on site, but plenty of clean bathrooms were spread around the campsite. Emphasis on clean bathrooms!! The camp store was equipped with just about everything we need and there are many nearby towns for adventurers.
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Best beach campground
We love this spot for a spring get away before the heat and bugs are bad. We prefer the walk in tent sites close to the beach. Bathhouses are immaculate and recently remodeled. Camp store is super convenient. Gorgeous unspoiled beach. Great campground for the kids to bike around. Also a few trails to bike or hike to the lighthouse.
We keep coming back
Hunting Island is the perfect campground tucked among the pine trees and palm trees. It is very well kept from the campsites, to the bath houses, to the camp store, and even the beach area. Very dog and kid friendly! Almost always packed, so we book about a year in advance but we know we’ll keep coming back. Gorgeous sunrises on the beach make getting up early worth it! During the day the beach can be busy, but not over crowded. Can even walk down the beach to the lighthouse! We take our two labradors and it is so nice to walk them on the beach in the morning and evening when sometimes we’re the only people for miles. Recommend this for anyone who loves to camp and spend time on the ocean as well.
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Sunrises Galore
Love love loved this park. The beach was amazing sand and so clean. So close to the bathrooms with showers. The campsite was extremely well maintained. The camp store was more like a convenient store, they have everything. Trails everywhere. Amazing camping here!
Perfect weather made a great stay
Glancing through the reviews, I can definitely see where July stays could be less enjoyable because of the weather.
We had a 70 degree day and with the ocean breeze sifting through the trees it felt like our jungle hike was air conditioned. No bugs. It was perfect.
We didn’t have reservations, but lucked into a spot as they were almost completely full. It doesn’t feel full though.
There are some awesome spots - some are just good and a few are just out in the sun. Ours (116) didn’t any barriers between us and the adjacent spot, but it was shaded and roomy enough.
Bathhouse were tiled and clean. Looks like they just built a laundry room on one.
Camp store is well stocked.
Beach. Swamp. Tropical hike. Fishing. Lighthouse. Lots of options here.
Friendly staff, too!
- (19) View All
Beautiful place
We stayed here for two nights. A great hidden gem in the SC islands. We enjoyed the beach, the quiet camp site, and the light house. This place had a lot to do for the family. I definitely recommend it for anyone wanting a getaway along the coastal Carolina.
Beautiful and quiet hideaway
We came in yesterday, the pin point on Dyrt is about 1/4 mile off. Watch for the signs after you cross the bridge onto Hunting Island. Followed signs to a checkin booth which was not operational but follow the road to the camp store. The people were great and quick. When we scheduled this stop they emailed us our site and gate code. They give you a map of the hiking trails, lighthouse, but not one of the camp ground layout. So good luck finding your spot, just follow the signs.
The sites are all different sizes. We luckily got a pretty decent size site. We are in an RTT so it wasn’t bad either way. They all have fire rings, gravel and sand. Decent amount of shade for all the spots and very clean. We are going on the trails today.
Gorgeous!!! Cannot wait to come back
Came here for the first time and what a hidden gem!! Exploring the beach and lighthouse was so so fun. Everyone was so friendly. The shop was nice to have too. Great bathrooms. Beautiful weather. I want to come back and ride bikes everywhere.
Great visit!
We were there in our pop up earlier this month (February, 2021). It was chilly and windy, but we came prepared. We stayed in our pop up, with heat and we were cozy. Our first night we saw a spectacular sunset! The next day we climbed the lighthouse, and had a good conversation with the volunteer tour guide. The next day we went out to the boneyard beach end and had the place to ourselves. The bathhouse was really nice. It was always clean with plenty of hot water.
Gorgeous otherworldly barrier island
It was our first time in SC, and also the first time on a barrier island. After Thanksgiving we camped here for 9 days. Everyday was filled with gorgeous nature, hikes and bike tours. We got lucky with a campside closer to the inland, no 76, which was more wind and flood protected. (campsites at the beach were severely flooded after a night of thunderstorms) We cherished our own little oasis. A lot of gorgeous large trees surrounded our spot, hence it was very shady. Good for the summer but in the cool fall, we craved the sun. Therefore we often just went to the beach to read and lounge. We loved it.
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Lighthouse and beach
Great hidden gem away from the busy beaches
Cool spot, tight campground
Like many state parks, the campground just wasn't built for 37' campers. It was super tight getting into our spots, but our neighbors were very helpful and the beautiful trees made for a cozy site. The kids enjoyed the beach, although it was too cold to swim and the algae bloom bubbles were abundant. Good COVID precautions all around!
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Peaceful Paradise
This campground was beautiful. The sites are fairly close together but they are spacious and the wooded area makes you feel like it’s your own little spot. Just a short walk to the beautiful clean beach with lots of shells. We hiked along the beach to the lighthouse. Beautiful views from the top of the lighthouse. We hiked one of the many trails back to camp. A very short drive to amazing local seafood restaurants that overlook the water. Everything was clean and well kept and the staff was kind and helpful in every interaction. This place is a must visit!
- (4) View All
Great campground
Great campground, nice and clean bathrooms, beautiful beach, very nice hosts, plenty of activities to keep you busy. Laundry facilities would be very nice addition. Be aware of vicious mosquitoes. Other than that amazing spot. Definitely will be back.
Absolutely gorgeous
Our first visit was in August 2020 and we’ve already booked our trip for 2021. We were in a site on the back row and even though this was farthest from the beach, it was only a quick walk to the ocean. Bathhouses were extraordinarily clean. The campground store was stocked with anything we might have needed. We rode our bikes up and down the beach and visited the lighthouse. The whole trip was fantastic, the only downside were the mosquitoes—come prepared!
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