Geography
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island is the United StatesGett second largest barrier island off the East
coast after Long Island. (Some argue the largest since Long Island is not really
a barrier island but two glacial moraines) The Island is one in a chain
of The Sea Islands - a low lying stretch of sandy islands reaching from
South Carolina, to Florida.
Hilton Head Island is 12 miles long by 5 miles wide and shaped like a tennis
shoe. The Atlantic Ocean makes up the eastern and southern shoreline (from
the heel to the toe). The Intracoastal Waterway and Port Royal Sound are
to the north and beautiful Calibogue Sound makes up the western water barrier.
The mainland is accessible by a four lane bridge and The Cross Island Parkway
reaches from Spanish Wells Plantation, across Broad Creek and onto the
south end of the Island getting visitors from north to south in no time
flat.
Many other gentle waterways like McKay Creek, Bull Creek, the May River or the Cooper River can take you to places like Daufuskie Island, Myrtle Island and Palmetto Bluff through undisturbed natural scenery that seems as prehistoric as it does beautiful.
Hilton Head Island encompasses approximately 42 square miles of unspoiled sea marshes, tidal creeks
and lagoons. Sub-tropical by nature, Hilton Head is home to a wide variety
of wildlife including deer, alligators, loggerhead sea turtles, dolphins,
sea otters, and hundreds of species of birds such as white herons, blue
herons, egrets, pelicans, and ospreys.
