Ready for the beach? Hunting Island reopens with changes after flooding
Hunting Island State Park welcomed visitors again Friday morning after being closed more than two weeks due to flooding.
The park reopened at 6 a.m. with its normal hours, park manager J.W. Weatherford said. Visitors are limited to 200 vehicles, less than a third of typical full capacity of about 675 cars.
Hunting Island reached capacity by about 10:30 a.m. Friday and staff expected entry to be closed off and on throughout much of the day, the park announced.
“It’s definitely not best-case scenario, but we just want to get people into the park the best that we can safely,” Weatherford said. “... We just ask people to be patient with us and celebrate that we’re open and getting people in.”
Hunting Island has been closed to day use since July 7. More than a foot of rain fell on the 5,000-acre barrier island in 48 hours, inundating the asphalt paths to the park’s trails and beaches.
In reopening, motorists pay at the main gate as normal, then turn around and return to Sea Island Parkway to be routed down a nearby access road. Park rangers will direct drivers along the new route, Weatherford said.
Only the North Beach parking areas are open. Roads to South Beach remain flooded.
The park has rented three additional 6-inch pumps to help move water off the roads. Staff is hopeful South Beach parking will reopen next week, Weatherford said.
Weatherford said park rangers had pumped the roads to the south end dry Wednesday but returned Thursday morning to find them flooded again because of the saturated ground nearby.
A large depression running from the lighthouse to near the admission booth in the middle of the island is responsible for many of the problems with standing water. Park staff plans to cut a network of ditches this fall when the weather cools to help water drain.
Survey crews were at the park Thursday working to finalize plans for a $3-million road paving project that state park officials believe will help with flooding. That work is also expected to begin in the fall.
With limited capacity, Weatherford expected to the park to be full in the first couple of hours.
Park staff and volunteers will update social media accounts with the latest developments. Those who want to visit can call the park at (843)-838-2011, Weatherford said.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 5:20 PM.
