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Leave only your footprints
Boat tours to St. Phillips Island allow visitors a rare chance to stroll the island’s boneyard beach and relatively pristine nature trails.
Photo courtesy of Discover SC
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Rooms with a view
Built by the island’s former owner, media mogul Ted Turner, a five-bedroom/five-bath beach house is ideal for multiple couples or extended families and comes with a full complement of amenities including outdoor cooking spaces, a fire pit, fishing equipment and kayaks.
Photo courtesy of Discover SC
Imagine setting foot on an island where few have gone before. Sandy beaches sans footprints. Rugged vegetation that hasn’t been cultured or coiffed. A massive maritime forest and endangered animal habitats living in harmony. Sounds almost prehistoric. And certainly not something that you’d find along the South Carolina coast. However, the South Carolina State Parks system has changed all that with the addition of St. Phillips Island as the crown jewel of Hunting Island State Park.
“Scientifically and from a natural standpoint, it is really unique,” says Phil Gaines, retired director of State Parks who assisted in the island purchase for the state. “The huge magnolias, large dwarf palmettos, evidence of secondary dune lines—a lot of things showcase that this is a really interesting island, not only from its beauty, but from what you can teach and talk about scientifically.”
Located at the mouth of the Port Royal Sound between Hilton Head and Beaufort, the 4,680-acre barrier island—accessible only by boat—was previously owned by media mogul and land conservationist Ted Turner. Purchased in 1979 with the intent to save a piece of the Lowcountry from development, Turner attached a conservation easement to the deed and proceeded to make it a private family refuge for almost 40 years.
During that time, the island’s caretaker, Ray “Boogie” Tudor, cut a path through the interior of the island with a tractor and a bushhog to create a four-mile-long rough-cut trail. In addition to a robust trail system throughout the island and the restoration of many endangered animal habitats, Tudor also built two ocean-front homes: a 2,177-square-foot caretaker house and a relatively modest 3,351-square-foot main residence, featuring screened porches and open decks to take advantage of the water views and ocean breezes. “The house is nothing fancy,” says Tudor. “Just big and spacious and it really breathes nice.”
Turner decided to sell the property in 2017—ultimately to the state at a bargain price.
Two years after the deal closed, the once-private island opened to the public for the first time as part of Hunting Island State Park. Day trips, offered by Coastal Expeditions, depart from the Hunting Island Nature Center, and include a naturalist-led ecotour up the Story River to the St. Phillips Island boat dock, where guests board a tram for the ride through the forest to the inland trail system and unspoiled beach.
Be warned: St. Phillips is not your typical beach experience. With 80% of the barrier island being a maritime forest, beach accessibility is fleeting and generally only during low tides. Even then, the sand is studded with trees and roots.
“It’s a wilderness island that isn’t focused on a tropical beach experience,” says Chris Crolley, owner of Coastal Expeditions. “It’s great for hiking and birding—there are close to 300 species of birds categorized seasonally. The jewel of the island are the trails.”
The main house is now available for rent on a seasonal basis. With five bedrooms and five baths, the house is ideal for multiple couples or extended families and comes with a full complement of amenities for the perfect getaway, including outdoor cooking spaces, a fire pit, fishing equipment and kayaks.
Get There
St. Phillips Island is accessible via the St. Phillips Island Ferry offered through Hunting Island State Park. Tours leave from the Hunting Island State Park Nature Center, 2809 Sea Island Parkway, Hunting Island.
Tours: The winter ferry runs Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through February. Beginning March 1, ferry service will expand days and hours. Private charters are available year-round.
Admission: Hunting Island State Park admission is $8 for adults, $5 for South Carolina seniors, $4 for children ages 6–15 and free for children 5 and younger. St. Phillips Island Ferry Tours are an additional $45 for adults and $25 for children under 15.
Tip: Wear closed-toe walking shoes and bring a backpack with only the essentials (water, lunch, sunblock, insect repellant).
Details: For more information, visit southcarolinaparks.com/hunting-island and coastalexpeditions.com, or call (843) 881-4582.