Local

Visiting Hilton Head’s beaches on Memorial Day weekend? Everything you need to know

Memorial Day weekend is nearly here!

The federal holiday honors and mourns the military personnel who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. It’s a time when families spend quality time together and hope for good weather.

Whether you’re heading to the backyard to grill, to the beach to catch some waves, or working all weekend, we have the weather and tide forecasts for the Hilton Head Island area.

Here are the essentials for the holiday weekend:

Beach parking on Hilton Head

There are places to park for free to access Hilton Head’s Beaches!

Here are the free parking lots:

  • Coligny Beach Parking lot: Located off Pope Avenue
  • Burkes Beach parking is free at Chaplin Community Park (located at 11 Cast Net Drive)

  • Historical Mitchelville Freedom Park: Located at the end of Beach City Road

  • Fish Haul Beach Park: Off Beach City Road

If you visit Coligny Beach Park, you can also park at the USCB Hilton Head Island campus closer to Sea Pines Circle.

The Coligny Beach parking lot fills up quickly, but parking spaces are available at USCB.

From there, you can board a free shuttle or use the Palmetto Breeze trolley for a ride to Coligny Beach. The shuttle runs every Saturday, Sunday and holiday through Labor Day.

Here are the lots where you must pay the meter to park:

  • Alder Lane: Off South Forest Beach Drive (23 spots)
  • Driessen Beach Park: At the end of Bradley Beach Road (207 spots)
  • Folly Field Beach Park: Off Folly Field Road (54 spots)
  • Islanders Beach Park: Off Folly Field Road (Mostly reserved for beach pass holding residents)

Vehicles that are illegally parked in unmarked spaces or along private roads will be towed by the town.

Pedestrians cross South Forest Beach Drive just past Coligny traffic circle, where the town of Hilton Head Island installed a crosswalk safety device on Monday, April 20, 2020. While Coligny Beach Park remains closed by the Town of Hilton Head Island in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk is expected to keep pedestrians more safe when tourists return. To activate the signal, pedestrians press a button that activates an overhead light that flashes yellow, warning drivers the light is about to turn red. The light then turns solid yellow and then red for cars to stop, and a “walk” symbol is displayed, alerting pedestrians to cross. After 30 seconds, the light goes dark, allowing traffic to resume.
Pedestrians cross South Forest Beach Drive just past Coligny traffic circle, where the town of Hilton Head Island installed a crosswalk safety device on Monday, April 20, 2020. While Coligny Beach Park remains closed by the Town of Hilton Head Island in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk is expected to keep pedestrians more safe when tourists return. To activate the signal, pedestrians press a button that activates an overhead light that flashes yellow, warning drivers the light is about to turn red. The light then turns solid yellow and then red for cars to stop, and a “walk” symbol is displayed, alerting pedestrians to cross. After 30 seconds, the light goes dark, allowing traffic to resume. Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com

Beach rules to know

  1. Fill in holes and knock down sandcastles: Hilton Head beach ordinances require that sandcastles and holes be filled in and the beach returned to its natural state 30 minutes prior to sunset.
  2. Don’t touch wildlife: If you see a nesting sea turtle, dead jellyfish or other animal on the beach, don’t touch it! It could be illegal to do so if the animal is protected marine wildlife, and dead animals can spread disease.
  3. Stay out of the dunes: Sand dunes exist to maintain the beach. You can help by not walking on or in among them.
  4. Listen to lifeguards: If a Shore Beach Service lifeguard blows their whistle, follow their instructions and get out of the water. Folly Field Beach was cleared May 17 for a shark sighted near the shore.

Hilton Head tides

King tides will bring large waves and the potential for flooding to Hilton Head leading into Memorial Day weekend.

The king tide, also known as perigean spring tide, will last until Friday, according to the tide schedule from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Coastal South Carolina’s highest tides are expected through Thursday.

Last year on Memorial Day, the newly opened beaches were more like slivers of sand packed with thousands of people due to the mid-afternoon high tides.

This year, Hilton Head’s Memorial Day week high tides will be as follows:

  • Friday: 11:10 a.m. and 11:40 p.m.
  • Saturday: 12:06 p.m.
  • Sunday: 12:35 a.m. and 1:04 p.m.
  • Monday: 1:31 a.m. and 2:07 p.m.

On a normal day, Hilton Head’s tide range is six to nine feet. During king tides, the range can be up to 10 feet.

In this drone photo taken at Coligny Beach Park looking up Hilton Head Island’s beach on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, an empty beach is seen after Hilton Head Mayor John McCann closed the beach on Friday because of the coronavirus.
In this drone photo taken at Coligny Beach Park looking up Hilton Head Island’s beach on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, an empty beach is seen after Hilton Head Mayor John McCann closed the beach on Friday because of the coronavirus. Drew Martin dmartin@islandpacket.com

Hilton Head Memorial Day weekend weather

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 89. Southwest wind 6 to 16 mph.

Saturday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 10 to 14 mph.

Saturday night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: A slight chance of thunderstorms before 8 a.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunday night: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Monday: A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Monday night: A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69.

Source: NWS Charleston

This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 11:35 AM.

Related Stories from Hilton Head Island Packet
Profile Image of Katherine Kokal
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.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER