Hilton Head Island welcomes about 2.5 million visitors every year. Beach days make up the majority of vacation time spent on the island, and visitors often put a lot of time and effort into researching everything else that they want to do (dinner reservations, watersports, bike rentals, etc.) but sometimes overlook a key detail in the otherwise low-key part of the vacation plan: How are you getting to the beach?
If you are driving to Hilton Head Island, you’re probably thinking of just driving to the beach! Or, maybe you want to take one of Wheelz of Hilton Head’s street-legal golf carts for a spin. Either way, here’s what you need to know: beach parking is undergoing a bit of a transformation, but fortunately for the 2024 summer season, all you might notice are electronic parking systems rather than the coin-operated meters. And that’s if you have to pay for beach parking!
We’ve compiled a list of beaches with free parking and the ones that do cost a minimal fee. Keep in mind, the beaches that have smaller parking lots tend to be the ones that require payment to park. Do fewer cars mean fewer people on the beach? We’ll let you decide.
Pay to Park Beach Parking
Alder Lane: $1/hr
2 Woodward Ave
- 22 metered spaces
- 1 ADA-accessible space
Driessen Beach Park: $0.50/hr
64 Bradley Beach Rd
- 28 reserved parking spaces
- 168 metered spaces
- 7 ADA accessible spaces
- 3 Bus/RV spaces
Folly Field Lane: $1/hr
55 Starfish Dr
- 51 metered spaces
- 3 ADA accessible spaces
Islanders Beach Park: $1/hr
94 Folly Field Rd
- 125 reserved parking spaces
- 25 metered spaces
- 6 ADA accessible spaces
Free Beach Parking
Coligny Beach
102 Pope Ave
- 390 parking spaces
- 7 ADA accessible spaces
- 8 additional ADA-accessible spaces at 1 Coligny Cir near the entrance of Coligny Beach Park
Coligny Overflow at USCB Campus
1 Sandshark Dr
- 220 parking spaces
- 8 ADA accessible spaces
- FREE Palmetto Breeze Shuttle
The Breeze Shuttle will transport you from USCB to Coligny Beach from 10am-4:30pm every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Holiday Mondays, from May 27th to September 2nd.
Keep in mind that there is NO BEACH PARKING within Coligny Plaza Shopping Center.
Burkes Beach
35 Castnet Dr
- 246 parking spaces
- 12 ADA accessible spaces
Burkes Overflow
2 Castnet Dr
- 136 parking spaces
- 4 ADA accessible spaces
Fish Haul Beach
124 Mitchelville Rd
- 93 parking spaces
- 4 ADA accessible spaces
Fish Haul Overflow at Barker Field
160 Mitchelville Rd
- 70 parking spaces
- 2 ADA accessible spaces
Biking to the Beach
Another popular mode of transportation that’ll let you skip the traffic and parking lots, is biking to the beach! There are plenty of bike racks at the entrances of the island’s public beaches, and if they’re full, you can always lock your group’s bikes together nearby. Or, you can bring the bikes with you onto the beach for a nice ride on the hard-packed sand! We recommend doing this at low tide to ensure you have lots of space. If you stop to sit in your beach chairs for a while, we recommend covering your bike seat and handlebars while they’re lying in the sun so they’re not hot when you jump back on to ride again. Also, try to keep them up in the dry sand, grouped together, and organized, so they don’t become a tripping hazard for other beachgoers!
Need bikes during your stay on Hilton Head Island? Check out Wheelz’s inventory of adult, children, and specialty bikes along with other helpful attachements. Staying at a Palmera Resort? Use your resort’s code during checkout for a 10% discount.
Catch the Breeze Trolley
Biking or even walking to the beach are great ideas unless you have either a long distance to go or you’re traveling with small children. Another option for getting to the beach is taking a ride on the Breeze Trolley. From Memorial Day until Labor Day, this complimentary trolley will run every day from 1pm to 10pm. Traveling throughout the island will be a breeze (pun intended) now that you’ll be able to hop on and off at 21 trolley stops covering both the south and mid-island areas. That means, you’ll not only be able to access a few island beaches, but you’ll be able to explore more of the island and do some shopping or have lunch or dinner!
Read more about this free trolley system here.
Staying at Island Links?
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Island Links Shuttle will take you to Islanders Beach and back to the resort. Check the shuttle’s schedule at the resort’s clubhouse when you check in! Another thing to keep in mind, is that the Breeze Trolley does stop at Island Links Resort as well.
