Burn Up the Road: Week Two: Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island National Wildlife Preserve

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, is an island of diverse and turbulent history thanks in part to its strategic location along the Atlantic Ocean. The island was once home to archaic native tribes that constructed large shell circles, one of which is still visible today. The great empires of Spain, France, and England all fought to control the island. Under English, and later American control, the island's swampy landscape encouraged the growth of large rice plantations worked by enslaved labor.

Today, much of Hilton Head Island is a congested playground for the upper-middle class and wealthy, dominated by golf courses, gated private resorts and repetitive vacation villas. Even the so-called town of Harbor Town is not a real town, even the lighthouse is not real, rather, both are actually nothing more than a shopping complex masquerading as a harbor town. The traffic through much of the island is also highly congested, and the signage is poorly labeled throughout. Needless to say, I was not impressed with most of Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area is not a total loss for those looking for something more than playing golf and shopping for overpriced clothing however. Buried within one of the gated plantation resort communities is the Sea Pines Forest Preserve, a salt-marsh oasis for wildlife and plants. The preserve his home to the Indian Shell Ring, constructed by Native tribes approximately 4,000 years ago. Within the salt marshes, I had the opportunity to view crocodiles, who were also watching me just above the water line. There was also wildlife viewing opportunities in abundance.


Early in my visit I spotted this wild alligator stalking me as a I took pictures near the shore.

An ancient Native American tribe constructed this shell ring approximately 4,000 years ago. It is not known what tribe constructed the shell ring. However, archeological evidence suggests that when constructed, the shell ring was approximately 10 - 15 feet in height, and ceremonies or festivals were held within the shell ring. It is not known what happened to the ring builders.

A variety of trees can be found in the lowlands. Just in this image there is pine, palm, and oak covered in Spanish moss.

After leaving Hilton Head Island, I stopped at the Pinchney Island National Wildlife Refuge. The 4,053 acre refuge was once the site of a plantation owned by Major General Charles Cotesworth Pinchney in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; little trace of the plantation remains. Today, the island is mostly reclaimed by the salt marsh and tidal creeks. An abundance of wildlife thrives in the refuge. Among the wildlife, I spotted dolphins swimming in the tidal creeks, sand fiddler crabs scurrying about looking for hiding places, and white ibis, a species of bird common in the marsh.

Dolphins swimming in the salt marsh during high tide.

A sand fiddler crab trying not to be seen. If you look at the base and the first 2 -3 feet of trees near salt marshes, you will likely notice hundreds of these little crabs trying to hide from you.