Bull Island

This was an amazing experience! Such a pleasantly wide variety of scenery, we could have spent all day. The only downfall was that the tide was too high to make it all the way down the beach, but hopefully next time we can go to Boneyard Beach!

Nice easy ferry ride to some great wildness hiking. We saw bottlenose dolphins, alligators (adults and adolescents), wolf spiders, water moccasin (Cottonmouth) viper, cannonball jellyfish, and all manner of waterfowl including loons, oyster catchers, plovers, terns, and gulls.

Beautiful reserve. A must see if you are in the area and enjoy walking and exploring in nature. There's so much to see on the inside of the island and on the beach. Absolutely amazing, pictures don't do it justice

A beautiful, unique island that is part of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Definitely a must-visit if you are in the Charleston area and you love the outdoors. Come prepared for a day hike with the proper attire and waterproof footwear and with a day pack that includes the outdoor necessities such as sunblock, mosquito repellent, plenty of water + a light snack, etc. So much to explore, do your best to familiarize yourself with the island and trail map! Awesome experience, would love to go back.

Amazing place to go be one with nature. Go prepared and you will have a fantastic day! Be aware the tide comes in quick so don't make the same mistake we did and get caught on boneyard beach at high tide. No way back except through the water or climbing over lots of downed trees and through dense brush. If you are afraid of alligators don't go because they are everywhere! At one point we were literally surrounded. Dont get me wrong, they make a run for the water when you get close so as long as you don't get between them and the water your fine. Lots of shells to collect including the rarely found whole sandollars! Tons of beautiful birds to see, including nesting bald eagles. We will be going back for sure!!

Fantastic place to spend a day and learn about the biodiversity of the area. I recommend "Aligator alley", a thrilling trail infested with mature full size alligators. 😁

Wonderful wooded barrier island. Pristine beaches and wildlife habitat. If you are lucky, you may see dolphins during the boat ride to the island. Bring bug repellent!

Unique and worth visiting place. Haven't been to a island like this before!!

A beautiful trip where we saw animal tracks, wildlife, history, and views we had never seen before! We found a washed up boat, starfish, knobbed whelk shells (one with a snail still living in it!), sand dollars, dolphins, it was incredible! Annie was very knowledgeable and a big help in making the trip informative and exciting! I live 10 hours away but I for sure want to come back! There's too much to see and learn for just one trip!

We took the Coastal Expeditions ferry to Bulls Island. We definitely picked the perfect day. Temp around 70 and overcast. The waves were incredible in the ocean. Boneyard beach was fascinating to see how roots on some trees still intact. Collected lots of sand dollars and a couple of large shells. Guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Dolphins swam near boat on way over. Great day trip. Lots of walking if you want or you can chill on beach.

Despite not living in South Carolina, I have now been on the Bull Island Ferry three times. I'm not the only one; whenever they ask the crowd if there are repeat visitors, usually around a third or so of people's hands go up. Which is to say, if you're wondering why someone would pay forty bucks a head to take a boat to an undeveloped island when there are other boneyard beaches and fields of spartina grass all around, there are plenty of right answers. The land here is beautiful and undeveloped, and while there is a small public dock where anyone can land, there are not going to be a ton of people on this island. It's large enough to be quite dynamic, with thick forests giving away to wetlands reclaiming the ditches dug by the island's previous owner; the beaches are only part of the attraction. The heat, humidity, and bugs can be bad in summer, so going during the cooler months is actually better in my experience. There are tons of alligators, which are quite large but unlike Australian crocodiles, are relatively safe to be around if you don't do anything dumb. Other wildlife and plants will vary, but will certainly be interesting. By and large, the trails are wide and well-kept, and if you take the early boat in, you can get a good run of half the island or so if you stay on your feet. Conversely, you can also relax on an isolated yet spectacular beach. If you're lucky you can find a sand dollar, and plenty of other shells and artifacts can be collected (though the wildlife refuge imposes some limits). Bringing your own food/water/sunscreen/insect repellent is a must. Regarding weather, they take a credit card number to hold your reservation but won't actually charge you until the tour is done. It would be hard to be in the continental U.S. and find a spot that is cleaner, more beautiful, and more interesting than this one.

Amazing experience, being out in nature and being on Bulls Island. The Ferry staff was SUPER knowledgeable and very friendly! Lots of walking, some bugs and magnificent birds! Boneyard beach was the star (summertime). We will definitely be back in winter months to hike Old fort road to the north end of the island. Hiking sandals or bringing an extra pair of shoes in a pack is ideal for both the beach and hiking.

Saw that there was an opportunity for great shelling on Bull's Island so we had to go! Of course, the day of our reservation, although bright and sunny, was about 42 degrees when we boarded at 9am. Being on vacation, we didn't have a lot of super warm clothes with us, so we did the best we could, but warning, it does get really cold out on the water. On the island, it wasn't bad at all, but we froze going out and back. Maybe because of the cold we didn't have any issues at all with bugs - we were prepared with bug spray but didn't need it. Once on the island, we went to the path marked "beach" and headed that way as quickly as we could. That path takes you to a wide expanse of beach - incredibly wide! Seemed like little or no shells here, and it was low tide too. However, as I walked along I saw two points of a whelk sticking out of the sand - I thought it was just a broken piece, but I like collecting the broken pieces so I tried to pick it up. It wouldn't budge, so I had to start digging - turned out to be the biggest whelk we found on the entire trip! So don't pass up what might appear as a little shell! We did find sand dollars and larger clamshells, but not the whelks we were looking for. We kept walking until we got to Boneyard Beach. That area was great, especially for photos. We even saw a family with a professional photographer doing portraits there - I'm sure they turned out wonderful! If you walk through Boneyard Beach and keep going we came to an area that was full of whelks - seemed like they were everywhere! However, the tide was coming in and the area was getting tricky to navigate if you didn't want to get into deep water so we had to turn back. Then the challenge was to find the path to go back - several groups were walking back and forth looking. There really isn't good signage - you have to look for a wide area without many trees, and that turned out to be the path. If I were to go again I would head to Boneyard Beach first and then go to the left to find the shells - I wish I had known that earlier! But we hiked our way back and even saw an alligator and a baby alligator on the walk back. It was a great trip and we were very glad that we decided to do it despite the cold! Absolutely don't miss your chance to visit this island!

Things to note: bring extra bug spray, and make sure you put the spray everywhere you can on your body! The bathrooms were full of mosquitos and they waste no time in biting you. put sun screen on before you come, bring water, wear shoes that have good footing and can get wet. Wear loose fitting/ light weight long sleeves and maybe a hat. The walk is about 7 miles round trip. It's worth it, 100% but it's kinda a lot. Boneyard beach was loads of fun, just take your time in looking around and you will find many different shells and drift wood. I'd say it was worth the $75 per person. Make your reservation before you go, and make sure you get there early as the ferry leaves at 9a on the dot, they wait for no one, same when leaving the island (2p).

Well worth the trip. Defiantly bring some bug spray, I think I skipped over that too but it's worth the trip and the money. The views are great and pictures

Very informative guides on the Bulls Island Ferry. The ride is about 30-35 minutes each direct and you can come back at the 12 pm or 4 pm boat. Bring plenty of water if you're planning on staying the whole day. We went through about 80 oz of water and probably 2 gatorades during our time out there. The ride came with a good little chat on the wildlife of the area. Tip: If you don't think you've brought enough water, you can take a bottle from the cooler. If you don't end up using it, they let you put it back. If you have opened the water then it's only $1 per bottle.

Last September, my husband and I were vacationing in Charleston and decided to visit Bull Island to get our nature fix. I keep remembering how awesome the visit was, which prompted me to leave a review here now a few months later. The ferry ride is a little pricey, but it's an enjoyable trip, and the staff are great, so the price is worth it. Once arriving on the island we were instantly bombarded with mosquitos. More than I'd ever encountered anywhere else. We carried the can of OFF constantly, and had pretty much emptied it by the end of the day. The heat was also very intense, even in September. I will say 6 bottles of water for 2 people are NOT enough if you plan to spend the whole day on the island. I was pretty miserable after a few hours with all the heat and hiking. I made the mistake of not wearing a swimsuit, which meant no real cooling off in the ocean. I ended out that day with over 20,000 steps on my pedometer, which is almost ten miles. The island itself is one of the more beautiful places I've visited in my life. We encountered colorful butterflies and alligators within the first few minutes of hiking. We also saw many types of birds and a few lizards. Others along on our ride spotted dolphins and eagles, though I was not so lucky. The beach is certainly the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. There were more shells, sand dollars and see creatures than I have ever seen elsewhere. I took home several beautiful specimens, and picked up some nice photos of live starfish. The "boneyard" of dead trees is also breathtaking. My husband and I spent several hours wandering amongst the trees. It's just awesome! I really want to visit the island again!

My husband and I took our grandchildren out this morning. My oldest son met us there and took pictures...I am sure he will be back too. We all had a wonderful time. The ferry ride was very informative and so much wildlife to see on the island. I would recommend it to everyone.

BULL ISLAND FERRY is easy to find from the main highway. The ferry can be reached by way of a short automobile trip from Charleston, SC (about 12 miles). Regarding the ferry ride itself, what can be seen from the ferry boat is dolphins swimming or dolphins that have hauled themselves on the beach for a rest. Also, what I have seen is various birds. I've seen a bald eagle from the ferry. Bulls Island provides beauty in the form of inland lakes bordered by many palmettos, beaches that are also bordered by palm trees, and the awesome Boneyard located on the beach at the northern end. Bulls Island has many hiking trails which are wide and in excellent condition for hiking. The island can be easily explored in one day, assuming that you stay on the trails and refrain from venturing out into wilderness areas. (I have gone off-trail on a few occasions, but never deeper into the wilderness than about 50 feet. I am not sure that it would be safe to actually explore the wilderness on foot, because of snakes and getting lost in a maze of waterways.) The island is beautiful when under overcast skies and also in the bright sun. I have found Bulls Island to be most photogenic when it is overcast. Most of my photography has been at "The Boneyard." Please also note that other sea islands along the Atlantic coast have their own "boneyards." From what I have read, the continuous processes of erosion result in the northern tip of these islands being washed away, with concomitant growth and accretion at the southern tip, where the result is a boneyard at the northern end. The various ponds on Bulls Island, especially when covered with a carpet of algae, are especially beautiful for color photography and in black and white. When black and white photography is used, the carpet-covered-ponds appear to be covered with a bright white coating that is other-worldly. DANGER. Parents need to watch out for themselves. If they bring along children, then the children must be watched very carefully and at all times. Bull Island can spell certain doom for you and for others in your traveling party. On any given trip, you might encounter two or three water moccasins on the main trail, or in the back country located to either side of the trail. Also, on one of my visits to Bull Island, I saw a copperhead residing just to the side of the main trail. And then, there are the alligators. The danger here, is that if you decide to go close to the water, an alligator might be residing out of sight and behind a hillock of earth or just on the other side of a bunch of tall grasses. Of course, swimming in any of the ponds on Bull Island would be suicidal, because of the many alligators. Also, it is a very good idea to keep your eye on your wristwatch, in order to avoid being stranded when the last ferry of the day leaves. DANGEROUS ENCOUNTER ANECDOTE. Here is my little scary story. Once I was walking along one of the main trails. I saw a large water moccasin right before me. Its body (or whatever it is called) was standing up like a chimney, and its head was about six inches off the ground. At the very moment that I spotted the snake, I heard a thundering sound. It was two deer stomping their hooves, and taking off on a sprint. The two deer were about 20 feet away from me, and were located on a hillock at the side of the trail. Mosquitoes can be a problem. During one of my visits, both of my legs got covered with hundreds of purple bites from the mosquitoes. They bit me right through my blue jeans. Now here is the good news. Arguably, the most beautiful part of Bull Island are the beaches, with the wonderful array of living palm trees, and the dead deciduous trees located at in The Boneyard. Snakes and mosquitoes do not occupy the beaches. That is very good news. PHOTOGRAPHY DETAILS. Initially, I explored Bull Island with my 35 mm camera, taking pictures with both color film and black & white film. At a later time, I returned with my 4X5 field camera for a photo-shoot, and the result was a one man show of twenty my 20 X 24 inch color prints. My show was in the main foyer of Lawrence Hall of Science. I am writing this some thirty years after my exploration with my 4X5 camera. This year (2016), I had some of my 4X5 negatives scanned to produce a 400MB file for each negative. When eventually printed, these will be of higher quality than the prints that I made with the 4X5 negatives and the color enlarger, back in the day. CONCLUSION. Bulls Island's inland ponds, scenes near the beaches, the array of standing dead trees at The Boneyard, as well as the sea birds and dolphins, will provide you with majestic memories that will lift you into some sort of spiritual world.

Saw that there was an opportunity for great shelling on Bull's Island so we had to go! Of course, the day of our reservation, although bright and sunny, was about 42 degrees when we boarded at 9am. Being on vacation, we didn't have a lot of super warm clothes with us, so we did the best we could, but warning, it does get really cold out on the water. On the island, it wasn't bad at all, but we froze going out and back. Maybe because of the cold we didn't have any issues at all with bugs - we were prepared with bug spray but didn't need it. Once on the island, we went to the path marked "beach" and headed that way as quickly as we could. That path takes you to a wide expanse of beach - incredibly wide! Seemed like little or no shells here, and it was low tide too. However, as I walked along I saw two points of a whelk sticking out of the sand - I thought it was just a broken piece, but I like collecting the broken pieces so I tried to pick it up. It wouldn't budge, so I had to start digging - turned out to be the biggest whelk we found on the entire trip! So don't pass up what might appear as a little shell! We did find sand dollars and larger clamshells, but not the whelks we were looking for. We kept walking until we got to Boneyard Beach. That area was great, especially for photos. We even saw a family with a professional photographer doing portraits there - I'm sure they turned out wonderful! If you walk through Boneyard Beach and keep going we came to an area that was full of whelks - seemed like they were everywhere! However, the tide was coming in and the area was getting tricky to navigate if you didn't want to get into deep water so we had to turn back. Then the challenge was to find the path to go back - several groups were walking back and forth looking. There really isn't good signage - you have to look for a wide area without many trees, and that turned out to be the path. If I were to go again I would head to Boneyard Beach first and then go to the left to find the shells - I wish I had known that earlier! But we hiked our way back and even saw an alligator and a baby alligator on the walk back. It was a great trip and we were very glad that we decided to do it despite the cold! Absolutely don't miss your chance to visit this island!

Fun trip! The captain and first mate were very friendly and gave lots of great information on the trip to and from the island. We saw dolphins both ways. The beach was amazing- lots of great shells to find. The 1.5 mike walk from the dock to the beach was flat, although the heat and bugs were a challenge. We brought a 9 and 11 year old and they didn't have an issue with the walk. Only stayed for the first half of the day.

My husband and I recently moved to Goose Creek from Virginia, and had been looking for places to go fishing. I found the Garris Landing Pier on a sight that said it would be a good place to go, so we went. The fishing was next to nil, but the gate on the pier had me curious. After a little more research, we found out that there was something about a ferry ride that left from the pier. What was that you say? A ferry ride? Sign us up! We discovered that there was a ferry ride that left from the pier twice a day and docked to let off its passengers at Bulls Island - a wildlife refuge that is home to many species of birds, alligators, white tailed deer, snakes, crabs, dolphins, loggerhead turtles, and so many more. There's a beach there called "Boneyard Beach" that has the skeletal remains of many pine trees after hurricane Hugo devastated the island in 1989 --- what a magnificent opportunity to take some really awesome photographs. If you life wildlife and a nature walk, you should definitely embark on this journey (bug spray is STRONGLY advised). The Ferry itself was a spacious floatation device with two pretty spectacular guides, Nick and Gates. On the way to and from we were given a history lesson of the island, plenty of educational information about the things we encountered on our trip, and as well learned much more about the rehabilitation projects that the island had going on. It's amazing the progress that has been made in helping restore the population of the sea turtles. Our guides were very friendly, informative, patient and pleasant, and they were excellent with the children on board. We will definitely be doing this adventure again in the near future!!

Awesome experience! Great nature preparation was given by the captain both on way over & return. Friendly crew & on time. Bull Island itself is also wonderful. Saw lots of wildlife. Depending on season, pack with care. No retail outlet there. I'd recommend half day for first visit unless going with experienced friends. A day gives adequate time to see most of what is there, but if under prepared (water, bug spray, sunscreen, getting a bit lost, etc) the first visit may be frustrating.

I took the ferry for a full day tour of Bull's Island. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. The island is absolutely beautiful. We found a 10 mile loop to go on and had a grand time with it. Definitely allocate a full day as there is much to see and bring PLENTY of bug spray.