Nature and hiking trails at Hunting Island finally reopen

Finally, the trails at Hunting Island State Park have reopened on Thanksgiving day. Now let’s get out and take a nice morning run.

After being ravaged by Hurricane Matthew last fall and assaulted by Tropical Storm Irma in September, the 6 major trails at Hunting Island State Park have officially reopened to park visitors.

The Nature Center Trail, Lagoon Trail, Marsh Boardwalk Crossover Trail, Palmetto Pines Pass, 75% of the Maritime Forest Trail, and a short section of the Magnolia Forest Trail have reopened providing over 4 miles of of hiking, running and nature watching to enjoy at the park.

Hunting Island State Park the most popular state parks and beach areas in South Carolina attracting  over a million visitors a year.

The trails winding through a pristine maritime forest are a big part of that draw.

Most of the trails are shady and meandering with views of the lagoon and persistent breezes from the ocean. Bird life is plentiful here and when you’re on the trails you can observe egrets, herons, ospreys, pelicans and gulls, as well as our local population of magnificent bald eagles. If you catch the lagoon on an incoming tide you will see birds in action, spectacularly diving for bait fish.

We’ve also seen dolphins frolicking in the lagoon. It’s an amazing sight that will always stop you in your tracks.

Read more about the nature trails at Hunting Island.

For more news and info, visit https://southcarolinaparks.com/hunting-island. The site gets updated frequently with the status of repairs and restoration at the park.