We arrived at Hunting Island State Park early in the afternoon on December 9, 2025. The weather made the trip feel downright luxurious compared to previous travel days—no wind, no precipitation, and temperatures climbing into the high 40s. Practically a heat wave. I briefly considered breaking out the sunscreen.
We settled into site 124, a very deep campsite nearly surrounded by trees. The farther back you go, the more privacy you get—but it also increases the odds of parking the trailer squarely in a swamp. Fortunately, Linda spotted the minor water hazard before I managed to convert our trailer into a houseboat. I can only imagine the number of bugs this place must have during the summer, but in December we’ve been thrilled with the absolute absence of anything flying, buzzing, or biting.
The next morning, once the temperature reached the mid-40s, we deemed it “warm enough” to venture out and enjoy the afternoon. We drove to Hunting Island Pier and walked several trails. At the end of the pier, a couple of people were fishing, seemingly unbothered by the brisk breeze.
From there, we followed trails along and near the beach—and eventually crossed a pedestrian bridge leading out to a small island where toppled trees littered the shoreline, giving Boneyard Beach its name.
We walked along the seashore for quite a while collecting shells, watching the tiny shorebirds do their frantic little sprints, and soaking in the sun. Truly, we haven’t seen a clear day in weeks, and it was a treat to finally enjoy bright skies, white sand, and the ocean all in the same moment. It was near low tide, so there was an abundance of wet firm sand to walk on. Along the way, we saw and crossed over small streams trickling down the beach before they dumped their fresh water into the ocean.
A couple of the trails took us more inland, where palms, Yaupon Holly bushes, and draping Spanish moss created a surprisingly jungly atmosphere. However, the only animals we actually saw were a couple of squirrels and a few birds. Wildlife seemed surprisingly sparse; maybe it really is winter and everything sensible has flown south.
After our inland loop, we wandered along a long marshland boardwalk. This time of year, even the marsh was mostly void of life—at least visible life. Afterward, we visited the Hunting Island Lighthouse. Built in the 1800s off-island, shipped here in pieces, and assembled on site, the lighthouse was cleverly designed so it could be disassembled and moved as the shoreline erodes. It’s already been relocated once, which feels like the lighthouse equivalent of musical chairs.
On Thursday the 11th, we pulled out of our campsite around 10 a.m. and headed for North Carolina to visit family. We had big plans to wake up early enough to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic. Instead, when the alarm went off, we both decided that sleeping another hour sounded far more pleasant. Off went the alarm, and so did our sunrise plans. Thankfully, we actually woke up an hour later and got ourselves moving. After cleaning up the trailer and securing everything inside, we hit the road.
We’ll be in North Carolina for five nights. After that, we plan to store the truck and trailer and fly home for the holidays. In January, we’ll return and set off on new adventures—hopefully with more sunshine, fewer swamps, and maybe even a sunrise or two we actually manage to get up for.
| Nights | Total Nights | Miles | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 322 | 260 | 30365 |