Another beautiful SC state park

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Geo: 32.7812, -79.9316

Today I took a drive south on Highway 17 to check out Hunting Island State Park, which is south of Beaufort on Highway 21. The entrance fee is $5 per person and then an extra $2 if you want to climb the lighthouse. It was a drizzly morning, but I started off with a climb up the 167 steps to the top of the lighthouse. The view was nice, but probably would be even better on a clear day. I headed back down and then walked towards the beach even though my legs felt like jello-o! The waves were nice and big thanks to the wind and I did walk down the beach a ways even though it was drizzling. This beach is great for finding shells and I'm sure it's also nice for swimming when conditions allow.

The next stop was the Marsh Boardwalk. This is a short .25 mile walk into the marsh. I saw lots of little crabs scuttling into their holes, but that was about it. The other main stop in the park is the Nature Center. Most of the walking trails are accessed in this area and there is also a fishing pier. I took the Nature Center Scenic Trail which is .7 miles one way. This trail is nice because you walk through the forest, across the lagoon and end up on a beautiful beach. I wouldn't call this a swimming beach as it is littered with dead trees, but it makes for some great photos. The ranger at the Nature Center said if it was low tide, there would be tidal pools, but of course I was there as the tide was coming back in and none of the shore was accessible. I saw lots of pelicans and other shore birds and an osprey in a nest by the Nature Center. Very neat!

I was getting pretty tired so I headed back to the car and back towards Charleston. The sun was finally coming out as I was leaving the island and I was wishing it had been out when I was walking on the beach but when you travel, you just go with the flow!

It's Easter Sunday so I am hoping to find somewhere other than McDonalds to eat dinner!

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Photos

Hunting Island Lighthouse
167 steps to the top!

Inside the lighthouse
Looking up at the top

Beach
Waves crashing along a small breakwater

Haunting tree graveyard
Dead trees being battered by the ocean

Little crabs
Maybe you can see one or two in this picture. They move away so quickly!

Ruins
Maybe that house is cheap! Can't imagine who would live there.