Sullivan's Island Beach
Atlantic Avenue at the numbered Stations, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
3.5 miles of Atlantic beachfront between Charleston Harbor and Breach Inlet.
Full detail →Mount Pleasant, South Carolina · verified 2026-09-04
The beaches, and where to put the car
Mount Pleasant has no ocean beach of its own. What it has is two barrier islands on its doorstep — Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms, both reachable without driving into Charleston — plus its own creek and harbor access at Shem Creek, the Pitt Street Bridge and the Mount Pleasant Pier. The difference between an easy beach day here and an expensive one is almost entirely parking, and Sullivan's Island in particular has no public lot at all. All 33 access points are below, with the fees and the exact dog seasons.
The beaches
Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms are the two Mount Pleasant actually goes to — both reachable without crossing into Charleston. Everything else is a drive.
Breach Inlet
Breach Inlet, between the north end of Sullivan's Island and the south end of Isle of Palms, SC 29482 / 29451
The tidal inlet separating the two islands, crossed by the SC 703 bridge.
Full detail →Isle of Palms Beach
Ocean Boulevard and Palm Boulevard, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
City beach rules, enforced by IOP Police, non-emergency 843-886-6522.
Full detail →Isle of Palms County Park
1 14th Avenue, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
Charleston County Parks facility with the only lifeguarded swimming area on either island.
Full detail →Folly Beach County Park
1100 W Ashley Ave, Folly Beach, SC 29439
Charleston County Parks beach park at the west end of Folly Island, between the Atlantic and the Folly River.
Full detail →Kiawah Beachwalker Park
8 Beachwalker Dr, Kiawah Island, SC 29455
Charleston County Parks facility at the west end of Kiawah Island where the Atlantic meets the Kiawah River.
Full detail →Capers Island Heritage Preserve
Capers Island, Charleston County, SC (approx. 32.866977, -79.682355); no road address — boat access only
Undeveloped barrier island immediately north of Dewees Island, owned and managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources as a Heritage Preserve, so…
Full detail →Bulls Island, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
Cape Romain NWR Headquarters, 5801 Hwy 17 North, Awendaw, SC 29429
Bulls Island is the southernmost barrier island of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, a 66,000-acre U.S.
Full detail →Water access that is not a beach
Mount Pleasant has no beach of its own. What it has instead is creek, harbor and marsh access, most of it free and none of it requiring a bridge.
Sullivan's Island Beach Access Stations (numbered street-ends)
Street-ends off Atlantic Avenue / I'On Avenue, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
There is no single entrance to the beach.
Full detail →Sullivan's Island Dog License — Town Hall
2056 Middle Street, PO Box 427, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
A Town dog license is REQUIRED for every dog on Sullivan's Island streets, private property and beaches — residents, visitors and day-trippers alike.
Full detail →Sullivan's Island Beach Fire Permits
Permitted only at Station 22, Station 23 and Station 25 beach accesses, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
Beach fires are allowed October 1 through April 30, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings only, and only at Station 22, 23 or 25.
Full detail →Fort Moultrie, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
National Park Service site at the south end of the island with its own free parking lot and public restrooms — the practical restroom stop for a Sullivan's Island…
Full detail →Ben Sawyer Bridge (SC 703) — Mount Pleasant to Sullivan's Island
SC 703 over the Intracoastal Waterway, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 to Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
The only direct route from Mount Pleasant to Sullivan's Island.
Full detail →Isle of Palms Dog Rules and Dog Permit — IOP Police Department
Public Safety Building, 30 J.C. Long Boulevard, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
Dogs are welcome on the IOP beach at all times, subject to rules.
Full detail →Isle of Palms Marina
41st Avenue at the Intracoastal Waterway, Isle of Palms, SC 29451 (City offices 1207 Palm Blvd)
City-owned 50-slip full-service marina on the back (Intracoastal) side of the island, with a double-wide public boat ramp that is well lit and secured, floating…
Full detail →Breach Inlet Boat Landing
Palm Boulevard at Breach Inlet, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
City of Isle of Palms boat landing at the south end of the island.
Full detail →Wild Dunes (gated resort community, north end of Isle of Palms)
Palm Boulevard past 41st Avenue to the north end, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
A roughly 1,600-acre private gated resort community occupying the north end of Isle of Palms, beginning past 41st Avenue and running to the island's tip.
Full detail →IOP Beach Wheelchairs — Public Safety Building
Public Safety Building, 30 J.C. Long Boulevard, second floor (Police Department side), Isle of Palms, SC 29451
Free beach wheelchairs from the City.
Full detail →Isle of Palms Connector (SC 517) — Mount Pleasant to Isle of Palms
SC 517 from US 17 in Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 to SC 703 in Isle of Palms, SC 29451
The main route from Mount Pleasant to Isle of Palms and the alternative to the Ben Sawyer Bridge.
Full detail →Beach Reach Shuttle — Mount Pleasant Towne Centre to Isle of Palms
Boards at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, stop ID #715 on Market Center Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
CARTA limited-stop shuttle that lets Mount Pleasant residents skip Connector parking entirely.
Full detail →Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier
101 East Arctic Ave, Folly Beach, SC 29439
Charleston County Parks pier at the foot of Center Street.
Full detail →The Washout (1563 East Ashley Avenue beach access)
1563 E Ashley Ave, Folly Beach, SC 29439
Public beach access on the east end of Folly Island, the island's best-known surf break.
Full detail →Dewees Island
Dewees Island, Charleston County, SC — between Isle of Palms and Capers Island; no road access
Privately owned residential barrier island directly north of Isle of Palms, between IOP and Capers Island.
Full detail →Garris Landing and the Bulls Island ferry
End of Bulls Island Road, Awendaw, SC 29429 (off US-17)
The mainland jumping-off point for Cape Romain NWR and the only practical way to reach Bulls Island without your own boat.
Full detail →Pitt Street Bridge (Otis M. Pickett Bridge Recreation Area)
990 Pitt St, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Town of Mount Pleasant passive park in the Old Village, on the remains of the old causeway and bridge that once carried traffic to Sullivan's Island.
Full detail →Mount Pleasant Pier at Memorial Waterfront Park
71 Harry Hallman Jr Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 (park address listed by the Town as 99 Harry Hallman Boulevard)
A 1,250-foot pier into Charleston Harbor directly beneath the Arthur Ravenel Jr.
Full detail →Shem Creek Park
Shrimp Boat Lane, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Town of Mount Pleasant park built around a boardwalk over the Shem Creek salt marsh, off Coleman Boulevard.
Full detail →Palmetto Islands County Park
444 Needlerush Pkwy, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
943-acre Charleston County park in Mount Pleasant with tidal creek, marsh and maritime forest access — not a beach.
Full detail →Parking and the rules that get people ticketed
The single most expensive thing about a beach day here is where you left the car. Sullivan's Island in particular has no public lot and enforces its on-street rules.
Sullivan's Island On-Street Beach Parking (public right-of-way)
Public rights-of-way along Atlantic Ave, I'On Ave, Middle St and the Station streets, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482
THERE IS NO PUBLIC BEACH PARKING LOT ON SULLIVAN'S ISLAND.
Full detail →IOP Municipal Parking Lots A and B, Pavilion Drive
Pavilion Drive, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
The City's two paid beach lots, a block behind Front Beach.
Full detail →IOP Free Public Right-of-Way Beach Parking
Palm Boulevard and the numbered avenues, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
No permit and no fee is required to park along the public right-of-way at these locations: 3rd Avenue between Ocean Blvd and Charleston Blvd; EAST SIDE of 4th…
Full detail →IOP Resident and Seasonal Parking Permits
Parking Office, 30 J C Long Boulevard, second floor, Isle of Palms, SC 29451
Where residents park free.
Full detail →City of Folly Beach paid parking (ParkFollyBeach program)
City of Folly Beach, 21 Center St, Folly Beach, SC 29439
Separate from the county park and pier lots.
Full detail →Fees, hours, parking rules and dog ordinances change by season and by council vote — every link above goes to the operator's own page, which is the authority. This page is not affiliated with the Town of Sullivan's Island, the City of Isle of Palms, the City of Folly Beach, or Charleston County Parks.
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