Hilton Head locks down one beach parking lot to passholders only. Here are the changes

Hilton Head Island is once again changing its beach parking and access rules.

Those changes begin this weekend.

Islanders Beach Park, near the island’s north end, will only be accessible to beach pass holders starting Saturday. The beach parking lot has around 150 spaces. About 130 of them were previously reserved for beach pass holders. The change is in effect until further notice.

Parking at Burkes Beach, located mid-island, will also change.

Starting Saturday, no beachgoers will be allowed to park on Burkes Beach Road or in the metered spaces. All beach traffic will be directed to park at Chaplin Park. The change is also in effect until further notice.

In the final change, Chaplin Park will reopen Saturday.

The trio of changes were announced in an afternoon email from Town Manager Steve Riley..

Riley said people parked illegally at Burkes Beach over Memorial Day weekend, leading him to change parking availability.

All Hilton Head Island beach parks are now reopened for public use with the exception of Islanders Beach Park. The beach access points were closed for over a month due to the coronavirus.

For a comprehensive guide to Hilton Head’s beaches, check out The Island Packet’s beach guide.

This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 5:32 PM.

Katherine Kokal

The Island Packet

843-560-9158

Katherine Kokal graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and joined The Island Packet newsroom in 2018. Before moving to the Lowcountry, she worked as an interviewer and translator at a nonprofit in Barcelona and at two NPR member stations. At The Island Packet, Katherine covers Hilton Head Island’s government, environment, development, beaches and the all-important Loggerhead Sea Turtle. She has earned South Carolina Press Association Awards for in-depth reporting, government beat reporting, business beat reporting, growth and development reporting, food writing and for her use of social media.