Last Hilton Head beach access point will soon reopen amid ‘bad behavior.’ What to know
Hilton Head Island’s last beach access point will reopen Friday, officials said Tuesday, despite town officials saying they were disheartened by unruly behavior on the beaches last week.
Burkes Beach, located mid-island, will be open to the public, but the adjacent Chaplin Park, where many people park cars to go to the beach, will remain closed. This means the beach access point will have only a handful of metered parking spaces and street parking.
The Town Council voted to open Burkes Beach to the public, open the Coligny Beach parking lot to full capacity and restart parking meters starting Friday, in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Council members agreed that opening the final beach park would help spread out beachgoers after a busy first weekend on the island’s beaches.
Two beach access points previously open only to beach pass holders, Driessen and Islanders Beach Parks, will resume normal parking on Friday.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies and lifeguards have been patrolling beaches, although the number of people who can be at the beach at any one time is not limited.
Beachgoers are not required to wear masks.
‘Bad behavior’ at the beaches
The openings come as Hilton Head specifically and South Carolina generally are lifting coronavirus-related restrictions.
Last weekend was the island’s first in which restaurants could allow indoor and outdoor dining and the majority of beach parks were open to the public.
Crowds responded, and town staff said the Coligny Beach parking lot, limited to 50% capacity, was full for most of the weekend. The lot has over 400 parking spaces.
“People came regardless of how many parking spaces were open. They simply parked elsewhere,” town manager Steve Riley said. “We’re a little worried about the behavior from over the weekend.”
But it wasn’t unique to Hilton Head.
“It seemed like the crowds and the unruliness seemed to be pervasive across the state,” said Scott Liggett, town director of public projects and facilities.
Riley and Liggett recounted several examples of what Mayor John McCann called “bad behavior.” They said drivers moved and pushed down barriers to park illegally, threatened security and town code enforcement officers, and parked on private property to access the beach.
Liggett said drivers challenged town staff, who were on foot, and tried to enter parking lots from the wrong direction.
“It was not casual and not inadvertent violations,” Liggett said. “We managed things as best we could.”
Which Hilton Head beaches are open?
Here’s a breakdown of which beaches are open:
Alder Lane: Open to all since May 15.
Burkes Beach: Open to the public starting May 22. Nearby Chaplin Park and parking lot will remain closed.
Coligny Beach: Open to all since May 15. Parking lot is now available at 100% capacity, and all cars can park there. The park’s bathrooms are open. Previously, the parking lot was limited to beach pass holders and then to 50% capacity.
Driessen Beach Park: Open to the public starting May 22. Parking lot has reserved spaces for beach pass holders.
Fish Haul/ Mitchelville Beach Park: Open to all since May 15.
Folly Field Beach Park: Open to all since May 15.
Islanders Beach Park: Open to the public starting May 22, but the parking lot is mostly reserved for beach pass holders.
How do I get a Hilton Head beach pass?
Hilton Head Island residents and property owners within the town limits are eligible to buy beach passes.
The application for a beach pass may be downloaded from the town’s website.
The completed application and $30 payment then must be mailed to 12A Gateway Circle or dropped off in the secure dropbox at the town facilities headquarters at 12A Gateway Circle.
Beach passes will then be mailed to the applicant.
More information can be found at the town’s website.
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 4:00 PM.
