Mid-island
Driessen Beach Park
64 Bradley Beach Road, SC 29928. Boardwalk, playground, picnic pavilion, showers, beach wheelchair, seasonal lifeguards, beach rentals. Parking: 27 resident-permit, 168 paid, 7 ADA, 3 bus/RV. Paid in peak window.
South Carolina · Lowcountry · Stay area
Palmetto Dunes
Mid-island Hilton Head: three miles of Atlantic beach, an 11-mile lagoon, vacation rentals, and Shelter Cove across the way.
- Gate Car pass on the dashboard · Pass Office 16 Queen’s Folly Road
- Sand Public · Town rules · Beaufort County Sheriff patrols
- Pool At the complex you are staying in
Atlantic beach, lagoon, and Shelter Cove next door.
What the gate is
Palmetto Dunes sits mid-island: three miles of Atlantic beach, vacation rentals, a marina across at Shelter Cove, and an 11-mile lagoon. palmettodunes.com/about-us
The resort is private. Golf and the tennis and pickleball center take public play. The beach is public, under the Town, and Beaufort County Sheriff patrols the sand. Access policies
- PD-managed vacation rental: car passes issued at check-in; required to enter the gates; one car pass is in the resort fee; extra passes can carry a surcharge; order the count in advance; gates will not let a car in without a preordered pass; parking limited; park in designated spaces only; no roadway or lawn parking; tow. Welcome Center mail: 4 Queen’s Folly Road.
- Other visitors: pass at Pass Office, 16 Queen’s Folly Road; hours vary seasonally; display on dashboard. Main entrance: Queen’s Folly Road.
- Listed amenity visits can go in via the main entrance without a pass (Welcome Center, Pass Office, tennis/pickleball, RTJ and other named shops/restaurants, Shelter Cove, Omni among them). A tee time at Fazio or Arthur Hills: South Gate. Omni reservation: South Gate. Leamington / Hilton Head Lighthouse visitors: South Gate. Beach is not on the no-pass amenity list.
- Uber: PD says $2 added via the Uber app at the Pass Office. Lyft, taxis, other paid transport: $15 entry fee.
The sand
Public, under Town rules, with Beaufort County Sheriff on patrol — resort access policies. Island dog clock and rules card live on the guide: #on-the-sand · #in-brief-hhi-dogs · Town animals page animals.cfm.
Public lots if you drive
Public beach lots outside the gate use Town addresses and the Town parking page. Peak paid window island-wide: March 1–September 7, 7 am–5 pm (phone-app pay; $3/hr Mon–Fri, $5/hr Sat–Sun), except Coligny (free). As of this page’s research day that 2026 peak window had ended; the Town page still states the standing window.
Walk-in · park at Chaplin
Burkes Beach Access
60 Burkes Beach Road, SC 29928. Walk-in access; Town: visitors park at Chaplin Community Park. Parks index: seasonal lifeguards, showers, beach rentals.
- 35 Castnet Drive at Chaplin Community Park — 246 paid, 12 ADA
- 2 Castnet Drive, off Singleton Beach Road — 136 paid, 4 ADA
- Chaplin Community Park itself: 11 Cast Net Drive (parks index)
Peak fees at Chaplin/Burkes: 7 am–5 pm beginning May 18 through September 7, after youth sports. Free parking for youth sports stays.
Quieter crowd than Coligny
Folly Field Beach Park
55 Starfish Drive, SC 29926 — off Folly Field Road. 51 paid, 3 ADA. Showers, beach wheelchair, seasonal lifeguards. Quieter crowd than Coligny on the live guide — not calmer water.
Closed through May 31, 2027
Islanders Beach Park
92 Folly Field Road, SC 29928. Closed Sep 8, 2026–May 31, 2027. Do not plan a day here. When open: 127 resident-reserved vs 25 paid.
Inside-resort beach access
Beach access inside the resort depends on the complex. Villamare has a boardwalk with an outdoor shower (Villamare). Captain’s Walk has a boardwalk to the beach (Captain’s Walk). Ask your rental which path you use.
Pool
The pool is the community pool at the complex you are staying in. No lifeguards — resort access policies.
Check-in
PD-managed rentals: check-in begins 4 p.m.; not guaranteed at 4. Checkout 10 a.m. Early arrivals may use resort amenities including golf, tennis, pickleball, beach, biking, kayaking — guest check-in.
Dunes Buggy
Courtesy transport seasonally inside PD, Leamington, Shelter Cove; 2026 season begins February 1, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. (10 p.m. concert/fireworks nights); call (843) 689-4222.
Breeze
PD notes a free trolley Shelter Cove Towne Centre to Coligny Plaza, seasonal. Town 2026 Breeze dates: April 11–Labor Day (September 7) — that season has ended.
Golf on property
The courses on the property are Robert Trent Jones (7 Trent Jones Lane), Arthur Hills (2 Leamington Lane), and George Fazio (7 Carnoustie Road). All three are open to the public. A tee time is required. A Fazio or Arthur Hills tee time uses the South Gate. Non-golfers stay off the courses — palmettodunes.com/golf · access policies. Tee times: 866-380-1778.
The Tennis & Pickleball Center is open to the public. An amenity visit, including tennis and pickleball, uses the Queen’s Folly Road entrance without a pass. Tennis and pickleball.