Hunting Island State Park Camping in South Carolina: The Complete 2026 Guide

Hunting Island State Park camping puts you in a maritime forest in South Carolina's most popular state park, a short walk from five miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach. The island covers about 5,000 acres of beach, salt marsh, saltwater lagoon and maritime forest in Beaufort County, roughly 15 miles east of Beaufort between Harbor Island and Fripp Island. It gets more than a million visitors a year.

Unlike the last two parks in this series, both closed for 2026, the Hunting Island campground is open and taking reservations in 2026. The news this year runs the other way: the lighthouse reopened in May after four years closed. Here's how the campground works, how to book it, and what's open right now.

Is Hunting Island State Park Open?

Yes. As of September 2026:

• The park, campground, cabin and beach are open. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., extended to 9 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time.
• The lighthouse is open for climbing again. It closed in February 2022 for a restoration that cost more than $3 million and reopened May 26, 2026.
• One closure to know about: the bridge to Little Hunting Island and Boneyard Beach is temporarily closed. The park cites "hazardous conditions caused by recent and forecasted high tides" and will reopen it when conditions are safe. Check the park's alert banner before you plan a day around it.

Hunting Island State Park Campground: What You Get

The campground sits at the north end of the island, set back in the forest within walking distance of the ocean. Per South Carolina State Parks:

• 102 standard campsites with water and electric hookups at 20/30/50-amp. There's no sewer at the site; use the dump station.
• RV length limits vary by site. Some sites take RVs up to 40 feet, others only 28 feet, so filter by length when you book.
• 25 walk-in tent sites with tent pads, fire rings and picnic tables, and a water spigot at each walk-in tent area.
• Bathhouses with hot showers serve both the main campground and the tent sites, plus laundry.
• A campground store open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, within walking distance of every site.
• Paved roads and packed-soil sites under the maritime forest canopy.

House rules: a maximum of six people or one family unit per site, two tents, and two vehicles per reservation. No generators, and no alcohol.

Hunting Island Campground Reservations

• Book online through the South Carolina State Parks reservation system, or call 1-866-345-PARK (7275), Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern.
• Reservations open 13 months in advance.
• Most dates require a 2-night minimum. Some dates and sites require longer. The maximum stay is 14 consecutive nights.
• Check-in is 2 p.m.; check-out is noon.
• Booking less than a day out? The reservation line can't do it; call the park directly at 843-838-2011.

Cancellation rules are stricter than most people expect. Cancel 60+ days out and it's free. 15–59 days costs a $10 fee, 4–14 days costs the first night, and 3 days or fewer forfeits the whole reservation.

How fast it fills: the main campground books out every summer weekend and sometimes midweek. The walk-in tent sites fill on holiday weekends but are usually open on weekdays. If you have flexible dates, a Sunday-to-Thursday stay is the easiest way in.

It is not on Recreation.gov, which only books federal sites like Fort Pickens. South Carolina runs its own state-park system.

Hunting Island State Park Campground Prices

There's no single nightly rate to quote. Rates vary by season, demand and site, and the reservation system shows each site's price for your dates. Pricing follows demand, so summer weekends run highest and weekday shoulder-season stays lowest. The best way to find a real number is to put your dates into the booking site and compare a few sites.

The primitive group camping area does publish a flat rate: $80 per night for up to 10 campers, plus $8 per additional person, maximum 30. It's for organized groups and is booked by phone with the park, not online.

Hunting Island Campground Map: Use a Current One

The most reliable Hunting Island State Park campground map is inside the reservation system, where you pick a specific site and see its length limit and hookups.

Be careful with older campground maps and map PDFs. Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 destroyed about 90 of the campground's roughly 200 sites. They were the whole ocean-facing front section, and they were not rebuilt because the dune system was gone. Any map showing beachfront sites along the dunes predates 2016. Today's layout is the 102 hookup sites and 25 tent sites back in the forest.

Choosing a site: there's no official "best campsite" list. In practice, the trade-off is distance to the beach paths versus shade and privacy deeper in the trees. Check the length limit before anything else if you're towing, because a 28-foot site won't take your rig. Tent campers who want quiet should look at the walk-in sites.

The Cabin (There's Only One)

People search for Hunting Island cabins and cabin rentals, so here's the answer: the park has one rentable cabin, near the lighthouse. It's the old ranger's cabin, and it books through the same reservation system as the campsites.

There used to be many more. A row of cabins lined Cabin Road on the south half of the island, and beach erosion destroyed every one of them. Pets are not allowed in the cabin or the cabin area. Beyond that one cabin, there are no hotels or other lodging inside the park. For a room, look in Beaufort or on the neighboring Sea Islands.

Hunting Island Lighthouse

The Hunting Island Lighthouse is the only publicly accessible lighthouse in South Carolina, and after four years closed it's open again.

• 167 steps to the top of the 136-foot tower
• First climb 9:30 a.m., last climb 4:30 p.m.
• $5 per person, on top of park admission. First-come, first-served; tickets are sold at the oil house across from the lighthouse, at the time of your climb.
• Climbers must be at least 44 inches tall and under 260 pounds, and children 13 and younger need an adult 18 or older.
• No pets in the lighthouse complex.

Its history is an erosion story too. The original tower was built in 1859, destroyed in the Civil War, rebuilt in 1875, and moved 1.3 miles inland in 1889 because the ocean was taking the beach out from under it.

Hunting Island State Park Beach, Boneyard and Tides

The Hunting Island State Park beach runs about five miles, with no houses on it. Swimming is allowed at your own risk. There is no designated swimming area and no lifeguards.

The famous stretch is Boneyard Beach. Erosion has left dead maritime-forest trees standing on the sand and in the surf, and it's the photo most people come for. It's also why the tide chart matters here more than at most beaches. High tides are what make this shoreline hazardous, and they're the reason the Little Hunting Island bridge is currently closed. Plan beach walks, and the Boneyard especially, around low tide.

Dogs are welcome on a 6-foot leash in most of the park, but not past the posted markers on the tip of North Beach, which is protected shorebird habitat. Dogs are also barred from the fishing pier, the cabin area and the lighthouse complex. Our camping with dogs guide covers the rest.

Things to Do Beyond the Campground

• Hiking and biking: the Island Bike/Hike Trail runs 8 miles. The Campground Access Trail is 1 mile, the Lighthouse Trail 0.3 mile, and the Marsh Boardwalk 0.4 mile out over the salt marsh, a good birding spot.
• Fishing pier: 950 feet out into Fripp Inlet at the park's southern tip. You can also fish Johnson Creek, the saltwater lagoon and the surf.
• Nature center: open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with live animals, programs and a tackle loaner program (rods and reels, up to four per group).
• Paddling the lagoon and marsh creeks, and year-round birding. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the beach in summer.
• Film trivia: the Vietnam scenes in Forrest Gump were shot here.

Hours, Admission and Address

• Park hours: 6 a.m.–6 p.m. daily; until 9 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time
• Admission: $8 adults, $5 South Carolina seniors, $4 children 6–15, free for 5 and under
• Nature center: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily · Campground store: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily
• Park office: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. weekends
• Address: 2555 Sea Island Parkway, Hunting Island, SC 29920
• Phone: 843-838-2011

Weather, Hurricanes and Erosion

Hunting Island State Park weather follows the Lowcountry pattern: long, hot, humid summers with afternoon thunderstorms, mild winters, and spring and fall as the sweet spot for tent camping. Bring bug protection for the marsh side.

Hurricane season matters on a barrier island with one road in. Matthew closed the park for about seven months and did roughly $5 million in damage. In August 2024, the park closed ahead of Tropical Storm Debby, citing its "history of flooding and erosion." Campers on site were offered refunds, and future reservations could be moved to later dates at no charge. Erosion never stops here either. The island is expected to lose about 10% of its land area over 40 years. If a storm is forecast for your dates, assume the park may close and watch the official alerts.

Hunting Island Is Not Huntington Beach

The two names collide constantly, and they're different parks at opposite ends of the South Carolina coast. Hunting Island is in Beaufort County in the southern Lowcountry, near Beaufort. Huntington Beach State Park is at Murrells Inlet on the Grand Strand, south of Myrtle Beach. It has its own campground, marsh boardwalk and Atalaya castle, and we cover it in our Huntington Beach State Park camping guide. Both book through the same South Carolina reservation system, so double-check which park is on your confirmation.

Recommended Gear

A weatherproof tent with a full rainfly is the baseline for the walk-in tent sites, where Lowcountry thunderstorms roll in fast on summer afternoons. Our camping in the rain guide covers pitching for it. A lightweight packable chair earns its place because you'll carry it: down the beach paths, onto the sand at low tide, out to the Boneyard. And a rechargeable headlamp matters more here than at a lit-up campground. The walk-in sites, the path to the bathhouse and the beach after dark are all pitch black under the forest canopy, and turtle nesting season asks for dim, low light on the beach. Run it on red or the lowest setting.

The Short Version

Hunting Island State Park camping is open and bookable in 2026. You get 102 water-and-electric sites, 25 walk-in tent sites, a single cabin and a newly reopened lighthouse. Book up to 13 months out, plan around the 2-night minimum and the strict cancellation window, and check the tide chart before you head for the Boneyard.

For more Southeast coast camping, see our guides to Jekyll Island in Georgia, Hammocks Beach State Park in North Carolina, and St. George Island in Florida.