Blythe Island: Camping with Bunnies
Brunswick, Ga. Blythe Island Regional Park
I never pass up an opportunity to go on an adventure. Doesn't matter what kind, I am down for it, but I am especially eager for adventures that allow me to be in nature or animals. So naturally when I learned of the opportunity to camp where bunnies roam free and visitors are encouraged to feed them, the Jeep was packed before I knew it.
Blythe Island Regional Park, located in Brunswick, GA., is a county maintained park that offers many activities such as swimming, kayaking, fishing, camping and boating access to the South Brunswick River. This park is even great for a day visit just for a picnic. The Park has 97 camping sites with a majority of those sites being full hook up, and handful of primitive sites. The park itself has so much to offer there isn't enough time in the day to take advantage of all of the activities. I can imagine that this is a popular destination during the warmer months.
Bunnies, Rabbits, Cotton Tails....
The star attraction is the domestic rabbits that roam around the main areas of the campground. I heard a few different stories about how they came about, some where a bit far fetched, and the one that makes the most sense is that pet rabbits were released (either accidently or on purpose) and have bread... well, like rabbits. The county decided that instead of trying to irradicate them, they would incorporate them into the campground. But first they had to control the population. I am unsure of the extent of population control, such as spay and neutering, or other means, but there are certainly several bunny residents. Some are skittish, which is natural for prey animals, others are very interested in liberating any veggie contents you may have in your hand. And when they get full, or just loose interest, they plop down and take a nap.
The campground staff raise the younger residents in the safety of a bunny habitat tucked behind a high fence. However, these youngsters are still visible and can be feed by visitors. They seem to transition the residents from the bunny habitat to the outside world when they are around one year of age. This makes them much easier to see them when driving, which is critical to ensure you do not create a very traumatic murder scene.
The bunnies are overwhelmingly cute, but the park itself is so nice. It is well maintained, restrooms were very clean, the boat ramp and bait shop area were also very clean. There were a plethora of nice picnic tables and even have a trail around the lake with a nice little footbridge over a section of the lake.
Camp, walk, boat, swim, fish, or just enjoy nature.
The bunnies are overwhelmingly cute, there is no doubt about that, but the park itself is also a worthy adventure.
It is obvious this park is cared for by its staff and visitors. There were at least 6 restrooms on the property and while we didn't visit them all, the ones we did were in good working order and clean.
The boat ramp and docks were clear of the normal debris (Styrofoam, fishing line, cans and bottles) that you see at most areas offering this type of water access. The park includes a small bait shop that includes the sale of live bait. The shop was closed on our visit, but it appeared that the bait was well kept using large tanks with bubblers that ran 24/7. However, the noise of the machines was not intrusive, and the sound did not carry far from their location. The bunnies certainly had no issues with it. The park also had an impressive 6-ton boat hoist, so if you had a bigger boat or the water was too low to launch, you could still gain access to the South Brunswick River. The river joins the Turtle River just beyond the island tip and continues to flow out to the Atlantic Ocean.
The park is also home to two small lakes. One of which has a fishing pier and small boat water access. The other boasts a nice sandy beach and roped off swimming area. The camp store offers kayak and small row boat rentals to use on the lakes. There is also a walking trail around the larger of the lakes with a foot bridge crossing a small outlet for the lake.
This small park also has 97 camping sites, with around 24 of those are primitive, providing great flat ground for your tent, a fire ring, a picnic table, and space for one vehicle without feeling cramped. All RV sites have water, electric, sewer, cable, fire ring, picnic table, and small concrete pad. Basically, it is home away from home, they even have Wi-Fi available.
Our site felt huge and even had the perfect spot for hanging the hammock. The weather was mild with a low of 50 ° F. The mosquitos ensured their presence was known, but not in an obnoxious manner. I had a couple bites before getting my defense spray out, but definitely enough to encourage me to take the plunge and get the Permethrin treatment for my hammock. Nothing messes up a good night's sleep like pesky buzzing in your ear.
Which brings me to the dark side of this park. So far, I haven't had much bad to report, but sleep didn't come easy for me in this location. The park isn't much of an island, more like a weirdly shaped peninsula, with a major interstate less than one mile away, a marine terminal across the river, and paper mill just a few miles away. Luckily, at least for us, the smell from the paper mill was not noticeable, however, paper mills are notoriously noxious. The noise from the interstate doesn't seem to be an issue for the RV sites, as they are located further away than the primitive sites, but it was not the tranquil experience I usually look for. Another con of the park was the persistent and rather brave trash pandas, aka racoons. They were a little too comfortable in my campsite, looking for food, for their own safety. I loved seeing them, but I fear for them being so habituated to us humans. They grab what they can, without regard to whether it is edible or not. One grabbed an empty bag of hay (fed to the rabbits), and we had to traverse through the forest to get it back. It was apparent by the amount of trash littered throughout the area that they seemed to be habitual offenders. We picked up what we could, but it didn't seem to be enough.
In summary, the park is a great little spot. The camp hosts were beyond helpful and very pleasant to work with. They were regularly out and about around the park, always had a smile, and asked if we needed anything. We saw a few county staff but didn't have any interaction with them, but they seemed friendly. The price was reasonable with a total cost of $43 for two nights. While we didn't have electric or water at our site, access to both were just a stroll away. The bathhouse was heated and the showers hot, which is always nice on a chilly night.
If we are ever that direction again, I will definitely stay again.
Aventure Budget Breakdown
This adventure totaled a whopping $158. We brought our own snacks, dehydrated meals, and full water bottles. We racked up a total of 500 miles on Rubix the Rubicon (JKUR) for this adventure.
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