Relax at these 7 Beautiful Beaches on Hilton Head Island, SC

Planning A Trip to Hilton Head

Millions of visitors come to visit the beaches on Hilton Head Island each year. Many return from previous years. One of the biggest aspects of drawing people to Hilton Head Island is the beautiful beaches. All of Hilton Head Island’s beaches are public but “access” to the beach isn’t always public. So if you are planning a trip here, I’d recommend reading all my reviews. These beaches are listed in order coming from Bluffton to Hilton Head on Highway 278.

1. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

 –Islanders Beach Park

Islanders Beach Park is located at 94 Folly Field Road. This is the nicest, cleanest access to the beach of all the beaches. Not many people come to this beach because parking is limited to Town Beach pass holders only. They have a beautiful beach park here as well. They have nice, clean bathroom facilities. The park is beautifully landscaped with gorgeous trees surrounding it. There’s also a pretty boardwalk leading to the beach. You definitely want to wear footwear to the beach so you don’t get any splinters. The walkway leads up to a blue beach mat all the way to the entry of the beach. This makes it easy for those traveling with disabilities, children, and or carrying wagon carts and coolers to the beach. It’s like rolling a red carpet to the beach, but this is blue! We really enjoyed this beach access as it’s very private, clean, safe, and beautiful. So if you rent a condo near this location, you will be in for a treat!

2. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

–Folly Field Beach Park 

Folly Field Beach Park is located at 55 Starfish Drive. It has pay to park service but the parking lot is small. There’s a wooden walkway that leads straight to the beach. There are restrooms and outside showers. There’s also beach matting leading straight to the beach for wheelchairs etc. This too is a pretty clean beach. The downside is the parking. When the parking is full here, they recommend you use Driessen Beach Park for parking.

3. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

–Driessen Beach Park

Driessen Beach Park in comparison has a large parking lot (about 200 spots). This is located at 64 Bradley Beach Road. It too is park & pay. The parking rate is $0.50 per hour. The machine accepts credit cards, cash, and coins. The facility has bathrooms, picnic areas, a playground, an outside shower, and a very long boardwalk. The boardwalk leads you to blue matting which leads you to the beach.

4. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

–Burkes Beach Road

The next beach you can go to is Burkes Beach. Burkes Beach’s location is 60 Burkes Beach Road, Hilton Head, SC. There are only a few areas to park close to the beach and this is metered. This beach access has one outside shower area. This access has the shortest walkway to the beach, but it’s not wheelchair accessible. While it’s a short walk, it’s a hard walk to the beach due to the dry, heavy sand. Fortunately, there’s free parking at Chapin Community Park which is just the street over.

—Chapin Community Park

Chapin Community Park is really nice. There are bathrooms, a large soccer field, and picnic areas. They have free tennis & basketball courts. They even have a playground area and dog park! This is a whole day event, fun for the whole family! There’s so much space here, you can even plan multiple birthday parties and still have privacy!

5. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

–Fish Haul/Mitchellville Beach Park

Fish Haul/Mitchellville Beach Park is one of our personal favorites as there’s plenty of free shaded parking. Your GPS will tell you to turn right onto the dirt road, but don’t do that. Instead, turn right onto Baygall Road, which is the next street ahead. This street is much easier on your car. There are bathroom facilities and an outside foot shower here. This too has a short walk to the beach. There’s blue beach matting to the beach. This beach definitely has the most natural touch. It’s a very shallow and quiet beach. A lot of local people go to this beach for that reason. At low tide, you can walk out as far as 400 feet into the ocean and the water will only be up to your shin.

6. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

–Adler Beach

The next beach into Hilton Head is called Adler Beach. It is off of S. Forest Beach Drive, next to the Marriott Grande Ocean Resort. Its actual location for your GPS is 2 Woodward Avenue. You have to pay to park and then you have to cross the street after walking a little way to your right in the bike path. Once you have crossed the street and entered the access point, you’ll see Loggerhead Bar to the left. The beach is within 10 feet of that. If you happen to stay along S. Forest Beach Drive, then I recommend this beach. But if you are not staying within walking distance, I don’t recommend this beach at all! This is not easily accessible, as it’s a little hard to find from the parking area.

7. Beaches on Hilton Head Island

–Coligny Beach Park

Coligny Beach Park is the most complete beach area. Coligny is located at 1 North Forest Beach. It’s in the heart of Hilton Head Island. There’s plenty of free parking that is located across the street from the beach. There is a little roundabout area for a bus or car drop-off. It is close to restaurants, Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store, and shopping. It’s beautifully paved. They have a large restroom. They even have a private changing area. They have outside swinging benches that are great for relaxing. There are outside foot showers leading up the beach and a blue mat walkway to the beach. This is where most tourists go to. It’s definitely a very clean and beautiful beach.

What’s a Tide Chart

Always review the tide chart before heading to the beach! Otherwise, the beach can disappear when you get there. Low Tide looks like this!

Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels. This is based on the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. The tide charts are only predictions, but they are pretty accurate. A lot of people use it to go to the beach, fishing, and boating!

If you have any questions about planning your next trip here, feel free to contact me! 🙂