Hunting Island park, beaches open again after flooding. What to expect when you go
Hunting Island State Park and its barrier island beaches are again open to the public after flooding shut out visitors this month.
The park, located between Harbor and Fripp islands in northern Beaufort County, received more than a foot of a rain over 48 hours starting July 7 that inundated roads and parking areas and was slow to drain because of the saturated ground. Gates reopened Friday with about a third of normal parking capacity and only North Beach accessible.
By Monday the roads to South Beach were dry enough to reopen the remaining parts of the park. The trails are also open, though park managers say to expect water in low spots.
The historic lighthouse is also open again to tours beginning at 10 a.m. daily and limited to six people at a time.
The 5,000-acre barrier island’s function as an attraction that draws more than a million people during a normal year is subject to the whims of nature. King tides, a hurricane anda tropical storm in recent years have transformed the island’s appearance and led to millions of dollars in public projects by the state.
State park officials hope work planned this fall to carve out a network of drainage ditches and repave roads will prevent flooding and access problems.
The park recently completed a $17-million project to renourish the beach and dune system.
There are also plans to begin work within the next year to rebuild the fishing pier that was heavily damaged during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
