The Battery/White Point Gardens, behind the elevated walkway at Murray Boulevard and Battery Street, are named for the St. Bernard-sized piles of oyster shells that covered this area where the Cooper and Ashley rivers pour into Charleston Bay. The marsh was filled in and transformed into a public recreation space beginning in 1837. The stately oaks you walk the dog under were planted in 1863. From the dog-friendly park you can study the positions of the forts that protected the harbor, including Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began.
About 90 minutes to the south is Hunting Island State Park a 5000-acre island that was once a hunting preserve, hence its name. Before that it was a stopover for sailors and pirates. Much of the park was developed as a Depression-era project and its 1120-foot fishing pier is one of the longest on the East Coast.
The lighthouse in the park, built in 1859 and destroyed in the Civil War before being rebuilt with cast iron plates designed to be dismantled and moved, is the only public light in South Carolina. You can climb the 167 steps - without your dog - to the top for a commanding view of the shoreline.
Hunting Island State Park is one of the best places you can hike with your dog. Dogs are allowed on the park trails and the ocean beach - three miles of natural sand. The formal trails include a one-mile nature trail and a 4-mile long hiking trail. Both are easy going for you and the dog. A marsh boardwalk has been constructed over a salt water marsh overlooking Johnson Creek.
You will find an abundance of palmetto forests - the South Carolina state tree - on the island. If you remember the jungle scenes from Forrest Gump you will get a feel for the tropical trails on Hunting Island. The Vietnam scenes from the hit movie were filmed here.
Hunting Island State Park is 16 miles east of Beaufort. From Charleston, take Highway 17 (Savannah Hwy) South to Gardens Corner, then take a left on Hwy 21 to park.
copyright 2006
Doug Gelbert is the author of over 20 books, including The Canine Hiker