What To See & Do

Nature Trails

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge has several miles of nature trails. Nine suggested hikes along these trails (which can also be cycled - mountain or hybrid bikes are more appropriate here than road bikes) range from a little over a mile in length to nearly eight miles.

For a shorter walk or bike ride, you can take the 1.2 mile trail to Ibis Pond, the 2 mile trail to Starr Pond or the 3 mile trail to Osprey Pond. The longest trail, at 7.8 miles round trip, is to White Point, where you can enjoy a small, secluded beach.

Other trails of medium length are also available to ponds and points of interest within the refuge, or of course you can combine the trail segments for a longer hike or ride.

→ See the Pinckney Island NWR trail guide and map

Wildlife

The diverse environments within Pinckney Island NWR support a wide variety of wildlife, making this an especially good place for photography or bird- and nature-watching. The number of species that can be seen varies seasonally, as the refuge is also visited by many migratory birds.

Birds you might see include species of waterfowl; shorebirds; wading birds such as white ibis, great and snowy egrets and herons (including the often hard to spot yellow-crowned night-heron); birds of prey; and smaller birds such as warblers, sparrows, and the painted bunting in spring and summer.

Ibis Pond, not too far from the main parking lot, is a nesting spot for several species of heron and egret in the spring and summer. Wood storks, and white ibis (for which the pond is named), can also be seen. The refuge also provides a habitat for white-tailed deer and alligators.

Pinckney Island Tours

If you prefer a guided experience, several tours of Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge and the waters that surround it are available through local independent tour operators, including walking bird-watching tours with the Coastal Discovery Museum, and various boat or kayak tours to see dolphins and other wildlife in the refuge’s marshes and creeks.

→ See details of Pinckney Island NWR tours

History of Pinckney Island

The area around Pinckney Island has been settled since at least 1000BC, and possibly very much earlier, by indigenous Americans. Brief habitation of the area by French and Spanish traders and colonizers occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries.

There is also some evidence that what became Pinckney Island was once the site of an American Indian fort, the ruins of which were depicted on an 18th century map.

Fur trader Alexander Mackay bought part of Pinckney Island in 1708. A few years later he owned much of the surrounding land as well.

Then known to many of the neighboring American Indians as Lookout Island, it became known instead as Mackay’s Island, and the creek separating it from the adjacent landmass as Mackay’s Creek, the latter name retained to this day.

Mackay died before he had time to do very much with his islands. His widow later sold them to Charles Pinckney, the land passing after Pinckney’s death to his son, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.

Under the management of the Pinckneys, the natural environment of the island was greatly changed. Much of the original forest was cut down to clear space for planting. Sea Island cotton, famed for its quality, was the primary crop, grown by a force of several hundred enslaved people.

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney was only a child when his father died (of malaria) in 1758. Pinckney’s mother was the noted planter Eliza Lucas, who had first introduced indigo cultivation to South Carolina — it would become one of the state’s most important cash crops.

Notoriously arduous work to produce, the indigo crop was dependent on South Carolina’s system of slavery. Eliza managed the plantations on Charles’s behalf, living until 1793.

From 1804 – which was also the year he first stood (unsuccessfully) as the Federalist candidate for President – Pinckney lived on the property. It was divided into three plantations, upon one of which – to the north of what was by now known as Pinckney Island, near White Point on a bluff overlooking Broad River – he built his home, with ornamental gardens.

Charles Pinckney died in 1825, his daughter Harriott thereafter taking over the plantations. She managed the lands herself until a little before the outbreak of the Civil War, and died in 1866.

During the War, a detachment of Union troops used Pinckney’s house as its headquarters, though the island saw little action.

After the War, the Pinckney heirs did not return to the island. It was now farmed by Black tenant farmers (many of them likely having previously worked on that same land while enslaved).

By the early decades of the 20th century, the plantations were bringing in less and less revenue, entering a period of decline that was only worsened by the wide-scale agricultural difficulties, not least of which was the boll weevil, suffered across the South. The Pinckney family finally sold the property in 1937.

Between 1937 and 1975, Pinckney Island was run as a private game preserve. In 1975, the lands were donated to the government for use as a National Wildlife Refuge.

Visitor Info

For additional information call 843-784-2468 or visit the official website.

Hours Pinckney Island NWR is open daily from sunrise to sunset. The entrance gate closes automatically around 30 minutes after sunset. Overnight use of the refuge is not permitted.

Admission Admission is free.

Location Pinckney Wildlife Refuge is located off William Hilton Parkway in Beaufort County, SC, immediately west of Hilton Head Island (see on map).

Other Information Please be aware that dangerous wildlife such as alligators, venomous snakes and biting insects are present at the refuge. Stay on marked trails, and do not approach or feed any wildlife you may encounter.

No drinking water or restroom facilities are available on site, nor are there any built shelters from rain, sun or other inclement weather.

Pets are not allowed.

More Things To Do Near Savannah, GA

– Events in Savannah
– Hilton Head events
– Things to do in Savannah
– Historic District Savannah
– Kayak tours and rentals in Hilton Head Island
– Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
– Hilton Head boat charters and rentals
– Daufuskie Island tours
– Things to do in Tybee Island
– Nearby beaches