Coligny Beach Park — Attraction in Hilton Head Island

We visited Coligny Beach Park, July 3, 2024. The place was packed and no complaints, because on a nice day, it should be packed. The near parking lots were full, so I dropped Mari & Isabella off so they could locate a spot on the beach and I could locate parking. I ended up parking at the Office Park location near Greenwood circle. The Office Park is about one mile away, so not too bad. I only waited about 5 minutes for the shuttle to Coligny Beach Park to arrive. Approximately, 5 more minutes to board the shuttle and as we were departing a second shuttle was arriving. The shuttle was a direct with no other stops along the way. I thought this is much easier and quicker than parking at the normal lots, and no concerns of traffic when leaving.

I located Mari & Isabella on the back row of the beach, absolutely fine with me, and a shorter walk to the bar. The beach and entire area is clean and well maintained. Attempted to help Isabella build a sandcastle, but pretty much a disaster. The sand that far from the water is not very good for sandcastle building. Either way, it was fun trying to build and assist a five year old. We enjoyed the beach for a while, then time to head for home.

The return shuttle is the negative part of the day, mainly because there was no shuttle. Even if a shuttle had arrived, there is no clearly designated pick-up spot. The shuttle had been scheduled to operate for almost another hour. After waiting about 15 minutes, I decided to walk to the office park and return with the auto for pick-up. Several extended golf cart shuttles were driving through, so we started asking if they could provide a ride. Nice gentlemen said sure, hop in. Another lady requested a ride to the main beach parking area across the street. We started to depart the park and as soon as we are driving around the circle, I turned to the lady and said, you may want to inform the driver where you would like to be dropped off or you are coming with us for a longer ride. Not sure if she thought the driver was a mind reader or definitely would be excused if had been drunk, but no. Dropped her off, arrived within 5 feet of our car a few minutes later, tip that driver was happy to receive, everyone happy and a good day. Now time to head home, relax for 30 minutes and prepare for dinner.

Coligny Beach Park is a definite for visiting. As previously mentioned, it is very well maintained with clean bathrooms. Hope to see you there soon. Take care of the drivers and they will take...

What a beautiful beach! Beautiful photo ops to catch the sunrise. Wish there were a few more beach-side stands to get food and drinks. Of course, I could have come prepared with a cooler, but who wants to do that when you're on vacation? Ya know? There is a roundabout where you can drop off passengers if needed. The drop off point is right at the restrooms and sprayers for your sandy feet. There are plenty of shops and restaurants here at the street and in the nearby plaza. There is a very nice path down to the beach, it starts out as some composite material like a boardwalk and then there is this other material that goes over the sand. It's a durable mesh of some sort so the sand falls through while keeping the path sturdy. There are plenty of places to rent beach equipment like bikes, umbrellas and chairs. We came down the last week of March. I think delaying the trip one more week or two would have put us in prime time weather wise. The water was pretty cold this time of year so we stuck to the heated pool for swimming. Overall, great experience here at Coligny Beach. Oh, one more thing....there is public parking about a block from the actual beach. You want to get there early enough to get a close spot so the kiddos don't have to walk to far after a long day at the beach. Or if ma or pa want to run and get the vehicle, you can use the round about as a pick up point as well. There are a few shuttle services offered but you have to be within the right season...

It's beautiful and well laid out and designed, HOWEVER, the parking and traffic are horrific especially considering how many pedestrians and bikes there are constantly coming and going. I still don't understand that crosswalk with the 3 lights... sometimes it's out, sometimes it flashes red and changes to yellow. Not sure I ever saw it green. There is a sign posted that explains it, but how are you supposed to see it and read it and understand it all when the traffic is heavy and fast paced and you're watching for bikes and people walking out right in front of you. Not a great concept. I wasn't able to visit some of the local shops because there was nowhere to park. I know HHI recently initiated new pay for parking lots but Coligny had the only free parking left... not sure if people were illegally using the shops' parking for the beach? But it would be helpful to have more online ordering and curbside pickup. I would have biked over but it was 99 degrees when we left. And the bike traffic wasn't much easier with all the cars and pedestrians.

Not sure if there's an easy fix. That all said, the shops and restaurants themselves that I visited were wonderful. The beach access is clean and beautiful and easy to navigate and has plenty to see and do. Many neighboring establishments with live music, food, drinks, ect. Overall safe and family friendly. Bathrooms are accessible. There's outdoor showers, ect. Just be prepared for the crowds during peak...