Oceanfront state parks ideal for nature lovers

By Blake Guthrie

For the AJC

If you plan a beach trip and want options other than staying in a high-rise condo, gambling at a casino, riding an extreme water slide or chugging a beer bong before cruising the strip, consider one of these oceanfront state parks within a few hours drive of Atlanta. Fun is of the more sober, solitary and natural kind geared toward individuals, couples and families who prefer strolling along beaches that aren’t lined with deck bars or packed with preening hard bodies.

Whether you're making a day visit to do some fishing or kayaking, or plan to stargaze while camping near the dunes, these parks have plenty to offer nature enthusiasts who want to smell the salt air, feel sand between their toes and see the sea oats wave in the wind.

Grayton Beach State Park, Florida

You can find three beachside state parks within a few miles of each other along Scenic Highway 30-A on Florida’s panhandle, where planned communities such as Seaside and Watercolor have become all the rage over the last couple of decades. The development has, for the most part, been planned well, and the natural beauty and ecology of the parklands are intact and protected.

The main draw of Grayton Beach State Park is its long unspoiled and uncrowded expanse of fine, white quartz sand, as well as the extensive dune area where visitors can take a self-guided nature tour. Stay on the trails and boardwalks, and whatever you do, don't pick the sea oats or you will be violating the law; they are serious about protecting the dunes around here.

Also on the nearly 2,000-acre property is a large coastal dune lake where you can fish and go canoeing or kayaking. Coastal dune lakes -- a brackish mix of salt and freshwater cradled in the dunes, are rare throughout the world but exist in all three state parks along Highway 30-A. Deer Lake State Park is a smaller, day-use park with a dune and beach area; Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is larger and contains a nearly four-mile stretch of pristine coastline.

The entrance to Grayton Beach State Park is a half-mile east of the stop sign in the town of Grayton Beach on Highway 30-A. 357 Main Park Road, Santa Rosa Beach.

Hours: 8 a.m. till sundown. 850-267-8300, www.floridastateparks.org/graytonbeach

Stay onsite: Cabins and RV and tent campsites are available at both Topsail Hill Preserve and Grayton Beach. Rates $24-$145 a night. Make reservations through the park Web sites or call 800-326-3521.

Stay offsite: Seagrove Villas. Updated 1950s-era beachside motel offering rooms and cottages on a bluff overlooking the Gulf in between Deer Lake and Grayton Beach State Parks. Rates $75-$360. 3040 County Highway 30-A, Santa Rosa Beach. 800-554-9522, www.360blueproperties.com/SeagroveVillasMotel

Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina

A 5,000-acre island park filled with pine and palmetto forests along a nearly five-mile beach, Hunting Island is one of the most visited state parks in South Carolina. Located 41 miles south Charleston, its views of the ocean, island and surrounding Lowcountry marshland can be seen from the top of the historic lighthouse in the park. The lighthouse is open daily and the only historical one in the state that the public can climb. Catch trout and flounder from the long fishing pier on Fripps Inlet at the southern end of the park. White-tailed deer can be spotted skirting about the island, as can seahorses and barracudas in the lagoon. If you plan on more than a day at the park, advance reservations are highly recommended for camping and lodging.

2555 Sea Island Parkway, Hunting Island. Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. (extended to 9 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time). 843-838-2011, www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/1019.aspx

Stay onsite: RV and tent campsites are available for $17.50-$26 a night. One cabin is available but currently booked through 2011, $118-$145 a night. Make reservations at the park's Web site or by calling 866-345-7275.

Stay offsite: The Old Point Inn. B&B in the historic district of nearby Beaufort. Offers full breakfast and complimentary refreshments in the afternoon. Rates $125-$175. 212 New St., Beaufort. 843-524-3177, www.oldpointinn.com

Hammocks Beach State Park, North Carolina

If you really want to get away from it all and still be on the beach, Bear Island in North Carolina provides such an opportunity. The barrier island that makes up Hammocks Beach State Park, located 70 miles north of Wilmington, is only accessible by public ferry (which resumes service in May) or private boat. The park offers three and a half miles of uninterrupted and undeveloped coastline along with its large dune field, where constantly shifting, wind-blown mounds of sand can reach heights of 50 feet. Extensive salt marshes make up the mainland side of the island, with the Intercoastal Waterway bearing through and maritime forests of salt-tolerant trees between.

In summer, the beaches are nesting grounds for loggerhead sea turtles, and they always have the right of way. Anyone caught disturbing a nesting area or impeding the natural progress of this endangered species is subject to penalty under the law. The ferry to the park departs from Swansboro on the mainland, navigating its way for a scenic, if disorienting, trip of twists and turns through the tidal salt marshes.

1572 Hammocks Beach Road, Swansboro. Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. in summer. 910-326-4881, www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/habe/main.php

Stay onsite: Primitive campsites are available starting in May for $12 a night. Make reservations at the park's Web site, or call 877-722-6762, and be sure to pick up a camping permit at park headquarters on the mainland before boarding the ferry to the island.

Stay offsite: Waterway Inn. Roadside motel near park headquarters in Swansboro; also accessible by boat on the Intercoastal Waterway. Kayaking available on the premises, and boat slips can be purchased for $10. Rates $99-129 during peak season, May to October. 160 Cedar Point Blvd., Cedar Point. 252-393-8027, www.waterwayinn.net