Facility Activities

There are wholesome recreation activites for all ages at Cape Romain NWR. Discover new outdoor interests and increase your knowledge and skills for those activities that you enjoy.  Field guides are wonderful to have while visiting the refuge. You can use guides to identify some of the many birds, plants and beach shells you will see.  "A picture is worth a thousand words" rings true at Cape Romain. Photo opportunities are to be found wherever you are on the refuge. Capture amazing photographs of nature, whether it be wildlife, plants, or beautiful vistas. 

Fish the estuary bays and creeks and, surf-fish off the beaches for spottail bass, sea trout, flounder and other salt-water fishes. If you aren't going out into the estuary, you can fish and crab off of Garris Landing pier. Clamming, oystering, crabbing and shrimping are popular in the estuaries. For recreational finfishing and shellfishing, be familiar with state regulations and have all state licenses required.

If you enjoy the challenge of a bow, the refuge offers two annual 6-day archery hunts for deer on Bulls Island. A long-held tradition since 1955, hunters have the more primitive challenge of the recurve and compound bow on the barrier island.  Due to safety and travel logistics from the mainland, hunters are allowed to camp on the island while hunting. Be familiar with all federal and state regulations and refuge policies that govern the hunt. The hunt brochure is available at the Headquarters or Sewee Center or, print the brochure from our website. The 2023 archery hunts will be held November 6th - 11th and December 4th - 9th. The camp area will remain open from 9:00 am on the Sunday preceding each hunt until noon on the Sunday following the hunt. 


 

2023 Bulls Island Archery Hunts November 6th - 11th and December 4th - 9th

Hunting white-tailed deer is a management tool the refuge uses to maintain a healthy deer population while offering a traditional recreation activity of a valuable renewable resource. Two annual 6-day archery hunts are...

Estuarine waters around Cape Romain NWR are considered to be among the best inshore saltwater fishing locations in the state.Fish the saltwater bays and creeks found within the refuge and surf-fish off of the beaches, catching spottail bass, spotted seatrout, flounder, sheepshead and black drum...

Nature photography is excellent and very popular on the refuge whether you are in the salt marsh estuary or on one of the islands. Here you can capture amazing images of wildlife and breathtaking landscapes. Perhaps the most photographed location is Boneyard Beach at Bulls Island. Here, hundreds...

On Bulls Island, the one-half mile Middens Trail, two-mile Turkey Walk Trail, and sixteen miles of unpaved service roads are open for your island exploration and hiking enjoyment year round. You can walk most areas on Bulls and Lighthouse Island beaches throughout the year. However, certain...

With over 293 birds recorded on the refuge, it is no wonder that the refuge is known as a "hot spot" and called a birdwatcher's paradise. Birdwatching opportunities are excellent. Look for herons and egrets, hawks, the Bald eagle, Osprey, American oystercatcher  and resident songbirds year-...

The beaches of Cape Romain are nature's treasure trove for sea shells and other sea treasures you will find at the shoreline. Search for sand dollar, whelk, lettered olive, and many other shells scattered along the beach and in the beach wrack. You can collect one small bag of unoccupied...

Crabbing, clamming, oystering, and shrimping are favorite pastimes in the refuge. Blue crabs can be caught year round. Clams and oysters are harvested during the months of October through mid-May. Shrimping without bait is allowed May through mid-December and, shrimp baiting season occurs mid-...

Boating, both non-motorized and motorized is very popular in the creeks and bays of the refuge throughout the year. If you want to experience the quietness and solitude of nature, paddle your kayak into the estuaries' smaller winding creeks, surrounded by tall marsh cordgrass, hearing only the...