Beaches on Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island is a fantastic destination for the beach lover in you and is perfectly designed for family fun...and safety. Hilton Head Island is shaped like a shoe with the sole facing east to the Atlantic Ocean. This unique shape creates a gorgeous uninterrupted shoreline of just over 12 miles.

Hilton Head Island was voted in the Top 10 Family Beaches by Sherman's Travel in May 2007 and this South Carolina beach front is child-friendly indeed. The coast offers mild, shallow waters, gentle waves and sandy shores. Keep a careful eye and kids might spot a frolicking pod of dolphins just off the coast, or take part in any number of cruises and water sports offered in the popular Harbour Town Yacht Basin.

The beaches are also generously wide thanks to the eight-foot tides which create shallow waters to play in and provides a spacious year-round beach playground perfect for strolling, sunbathing, biking, building sand castles and relaxing. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Hilton Head Island is the ideal location for the East Coast's most spectacular sunrises. With smatterings of pinks, blues, purples and yellows spanning across the ocean and up into the sky...this is the perfect time of day to enjoy a brisk and refreshing walk.

All of the beach is public, from the ocean to the high-water mark; however, access to the beach is both public and private, depending on location.

Although many gated communities offer access throughout, the Town of Hilton Head Island provides five public beach access points at Alder Lane Beach, Coligny Beach Circle, Driessen Beach Park , Folly Field Beach Park and Burkes Beach. Learn more about Hilton Head beach conditions.

Still Searching for that perfect Hilton Head beachfront vacation rental?

ResortQuest Hilton Head offers a full selection of beach front condos, villas and luxury homes located right on the beach or within walking distance. Find your inner beach bum in Hilton Head, with an oceanfront Hilton Head vacation rental.