Savannah, Georgia's Best Secret Vacation Spot For Outdoor Lovers Is This Island State Park

Waking up in a maritime forest, the sun rising over the salt marshes with the sound of birdsong all around you: This is Skidaway Island State Park. Less than half an hour away from bustling Savannah, Georgia, this park offers a secluded escape into nature. The most popular way to explore this park is the easy Sandpiper Trail Loop, which you can do along with the Avian Loop (pictured) to get a good look out at the water and the swaying reeds. These sandy trails and little wooden bridges make for an easy stroll, so there may be other visitors there, but if you come early enough in the morning, you might just have the whole trail to yourself.

This is one of Georgia's best state parks, which are different from national parks, but no less beautiful. They also present all the same opportunities for having fun in nature. While the most popular activities are probably camping in the forest, wandering around the park trails, and spotting exciting birds from woodpeckers to bald eagles, there are plenty of other adventures on Skidaway Island, too. This includes great picnic spots where you can enjoy locally sourced snacks from the gift shop, a geocache hidden in the park so the entire family can enjoy a GPS scavenger hunt, and an exciting nature center featuring the skeleton of a giant ground sloth that made its home in the ancient land that would someday be called Georgia.

The state of Georgia has a surprising number of little-known islands to explore, and Skidaway Island National Park may just be the best. In contrast to popular outdoor adventure spots like the consistently highly rated Jekyll Island, which brings in more than 3 million people every year, Skidaway has only around 500,000 visitors annually. While birdwatchers and campers are attracted to this quiet, natural environment, for now it is still a secluded spot. If you come here, there's a good chance that you can walk on easy trails through lush vegetation in private, with only the people (and dogs) you bring with you.

Like Georgia's biggest state park, Cloudland Canyon, there are plenty of options for a peaceful camping trip, too. You won't have to worry about getting the smoke from your neighbor's fire in your eyes or overhearing their campfire songs (unless they're very loud) at Skidaway Island State Park. In general, the sites are considered large and private. Even the areas with smaller campsites are more wooded, providing an extra layer of protection from the outside world and adding to the feeling of being alone in nature.

So close to highways, homes, and cities, it can feel surreal to suddenly be immersed in a forest of pine trees and palmetto palms. Skidaway Island is full of verdant landscapes, from the forest and the lush greenery that surrounds the trails, to the salt marshes and rivers that lie between the land and sea. This park is home to many species of reptiles and mammals. If you venture along the Connector Trail between the Sandpiper Loop and the Big Ferry Loop, you'll pass a pond that's home to alligators, while if you explore the popular Avian Loop, you might spot dolphins leaping out of the water.

While the park is full of incredible wild animals, the most popular inhabitants of Skidaway Island are certainly the birds. This park is one of the best spots on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, a route which takes you along Georgia's Coast. Hundreds of types of birds have been seen along this trail, and some of the most exciting can be spotted in Skidaway Island State Park. While it's a haven for birdwatchers, you don't have to be an adamant hobbyist to see them. Just head out on the trails and keep your eyes and ears open. If you happen to come in the spring and fall, you might hear the calls of migrating warblers, while in the summer, you could see ospreys nesting.