Pennington Passages

Have you ever seen an American Mink at the beach? We explored the north end of Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina and spotted a mink!

The Park

The park is divided into two areas – North and South. Both sides have beach access and campgrounds. The north side has a nature center and observation decks overlooking Oaks Creek and Sandpiper Pond. The furthest point north is the bird sanctuary and jetty. The south side has Atalaya Castle, Spoonbill’s Ice Cream Shop, picnic areas, playground, gift shop, and camper registration. This post will focus on the north side.

North Campground

The North Campground is the largest and offers water and electric hookups.

There is a nice paved walkway to the beach. At the north end of the campground, Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail begins. The trail is one mile long and ends at an observation deck overlooking Sandpiper Pond.

Nature Center

The Nature Center is just north of the campground. It has an observation deck where we spotted egrets, pelicans, great blue herons, and yellowlegs all enjoying Oaks Creek.

From the north end of Sandpiper Nature Trail, the area becomes a bird sanctuary for 1.2 miles of coastline to the jetty. No dogs are allowed past this point (sorry Barley…) as you enter the bird sanctuary.

Bird Sanctuary

It is a beautiful walk up the beach to the jetty. Along the way, areas are marked off for sea turtles. In the marsh behind the beach, areas are fenced off to protect the nesting shore birds from predators.

The adorable mink is one of the predators. They will snatch eggs if given the chance.

American Mink

According to a state park naturalist we met on the jetty, the mink were introduced to this part of SC. Thus the mink are monitored to keep the ecosystem in check. We spotted this little guy scurrying in and out of his hole at the jetty. They are cute and fun to watch but beware they bite!

Magic Hour at the beach

After enjoying the mink sighting, we were amazed at magic hour! I think the reverse sunset was better than the actual sunset. We took in both views as the sun went down.

As we made the trek back to the North Beach Access, the anti-twilight effect became more dramatic. It was the perfect end to the day. We plan to visit this special SC State Park again to learn about the nesting sea turtles!