About: Driessen Beach Park, part of the Town of Hilton Head, has nature trails and a boardwalk through the dunes providing beach access. Given the level of human activity, birds are not always present but during the cooler months, Burke’s Beach is a pleasant location and good birds a possibility.
Loblolly Pines and salt-sheared Live Oaks line the marsh on one side; on the other, the dunes with their Sea Oats and other pioneer plants protect the marsh ravages from the ocean. Many other animal species occupy and make a good living in the transitional zone between the woodlands and the beach, as well as above the low tide line on the beach itself, one of the island’s better shelling areas. Along the path to the beach, there is a salt marsh on both sides of the Folly, a tidal creek that runs into the ocean at the south end of Burke’s Beach. On the beach, particularly at the entrance to the Folly, gulls, terns, and shorebirds frequently rest.
Location: Driessen Beach Park, 64 Bradley Beach Road, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29928. South of Port Royal Plantation, 6 to 7 miles from the bridge, several roads lead to the Atlantic Ocean to the left off Hwy 278. Driessen Beach Park is at the foot of Bradley Beach Road; Burke’s Beach is at the end of Burke’s Beach Road, as is the Chapin Community Park that fronts Hwy 278.
Hours: Monday through Sunday 6 am - 9 pm.
Link: https://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/parks/DriessenBeach/
