Hilton Head by the numbers.

Hilton Head is a foot-shaped barrier island on the South Carolina coast — 12 miles long, almost flat, and ringed by salt marsh on three sides and the Atlantic on the fourth.

• 12 milesLength of Hilton Head IslandSource: Town of Hilton Head Island

  The island is foot-shaped, with the heel at the south end (Sea Pines, Calibogue Sound) and the toes at the north (Port Royal Sound). Distance bridge-to-bridge along US-278 is about 12 miles.

• ~5 milesWidth at widest point

• ~70 sq miTotal area (land + water)Source: US Census Bureau

  Approximately 42 sq mi land and 28 sq mi inland water (lagoons, marsh, creeks).

• 32.22°N, 80.75°WCoordinates

• 12 milesPublic, hard-packed Atlantic beachSource: Hilton Head Island Chamber

  The full Atlantic-facing coastline is public below the high-water mark. Hard-packed sand makes the beach unusually bikeable at low tide.

• ~14 ftAverage elevation above sea level

• Beaufort CountyCounty, South Carolina

• 2 bridgesNumber of road bridges connecting the island

  James F. Byrnes Bridge (US 278, opened 1956 — replaced by twin spans in 1982) and the Cross Island Parkway toll bridge (opened 1998).

Captain William Hilton sailed past in 1663. Charles Fraser opened Sea Pines Plantation in 1956. Between those two dates is a Reconstruction-era town that almost nobody outside the Lowcountry knows about.

• 1956Charles Fraser founded Sea Pines PlantationSource: Sea Pines Resort

  Considered the birth of modern Hilton Head resort development. The Byrnes Bridge connecting the island to the mainland opened the same year — before that, access was by boat.

• 1862Mitchelville founded as the first self-governing town of formerly enslaved people in the U.S.Source: Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park

  Established November 1862 under Union General Ormsby Mitchel during the Civil War. Today Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park preserves the site with walking paths and interpretive markers.

• 1983Year the Town of Hilton Head Island incorporated

• 1969Harbour Town Golf Links + Lighthouse openedSource: PGA Tour

  The Sea Pines Heritage Classic (now RBC Heritage) was first played the same year and has run continuously every spring since.

• 1663Captain William Hilton sighted and named the headland

  Sent by Barbadian planters to scout the Carolina coast, Hilton recorded the high bluff at the island's north end as "Hilton's Head" — the origin of the modern name.

• 1893Sea Islands HurricaneSource: NOAA Hurricane Research Division

  A Category 3 storm killed roughly 2,000 people across the SC/GA Sea Islands and depopulated Hilton Head for decades. The island sat largely undeveloped until the 1950s.

Subtropical. The ocean stays swimmable from May through October. The shoulder seasons are the secret: 75–85°F days, low humidity, and a third of the summer crowd.

• 89°FAverage July daytime highSource: NOAA NCEI

• 60°FAverage January daytime high

• ~50 inchesAverage annual rainfall

  Most of it concentrated in late-afternoon thunderstorms June through September. Mornings stay clear; pop-up storms cool the afternoons and clear by sunset.

• 84°FPeak ocean temperature (August)Source: NOAA Coastal Data

• 52°FColdest ocean temperature (February)

• Jun 1 – Nov 30Atlantic hurricane seasonSource: NOAA National Hurricane Center

  Peak risk on the SC coast is mid-August through early October. Direct hits on Hilton Head are rare; the last was Matthew in 2016.

• 2016Hurricane Matthew direct hit

  Made landfall just south of Hilton Head on October 8, 2016 as a strong Category 1. Caused widespread tree loss but limited structural damage. Beach and golf-course access fully restored within a season.

• ~230 daysSunny days per year

There are roughly 12,000 rental units on the island and the per-night spread between them runs 5× from end to end. Truly oceanfront commands a 30–60% premium that quietly evaporates in shoulder months.

• ~38,000Year-round residentsSource: US Census Bureau (2020)

• ~3 millionAnnual visitorsSource: Hilton Head Island–Bluffton Chamber of Commerce

  Roughly 80× the year-round population. Peak weeks during summer break and the RBC Heritage triple the in-town population overnight.

• ~12,000Vacation rental units island-wide

  Includes villas, condos, single-family homes, and resort rooms. Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes together account for roughly half.

• 6 major resortsFull-service resort properties on-island

  The Sea Pines Resort, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort, Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island, and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.

• 30–60%True-oceanfront premium vs. inland villa

  Premium widens in July–August and narrows in March and November. 'Oceanview' (not on the dune line) typically saves 15–25% with no meaningful loss of beach access for a 2-night couples trip.

• 8–12%Average Hilton Ahead client savings below public listingsSource: Hilton Ahead Travel Co.

  Driven by direct partner-property relationships. On a $4,000 villa week the savings typically more than cover the consulting fee.

Twenty-four courses on a twelve-mile island. Harbour Town is the one outsiders know; the locals' shortlist also runs through May River, Colleton River, Heron Point, and Palmetto Dunes' RTJ Oceanside.

• 24 coursesGolf courses on Hilton Head IslandSource: Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau

• 15+ moreCourses in Bluffton & immediate Lowcountry within 30 minutes

  Including May River at Palmetto Bluff, Colleton River, Belfair, Berkeley Hall, Oldfield, Hampton Hall, and Old Tabby Links.

• 1969Year Harbour Town Golf Links openedSource: The Sea Pines Resort

  Designed by Pete Dye with consultation from Jack Nicklaus and Alice Dye. Reopened November 2025 after a full restoration with Davis Love III as player consultant.

• Every April since 1969RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing at Harbour TownSource: PGA Tour

  Played the week after The Masters. The only PGA Tour event in South Carolina. 2026 dates: April 13–19.

• 7,213 yardsHarbour Town from championship tees

• 120 daysSea Pines Resort guest tee-time priority window

  Resort villa stays unlock a 120-day Harbour Town booking horizon. The public window is roughly 30 days.

• 3 championship coursesInside Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront ResortSource: Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort

  Robert Trent Jones Oceanside, Arthur Hills, and George Fazio — each by a different namesake architect.

• May RiverTop-ranked Lowcountry course (Jack Nicklaus, 2004)

  Inside Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, 25 minutes off-island. Routinely cited among Golf Digest's top public-access courses in South Carolina.

Roughly two hundred restaurants between the bridges, clustered in five dining nodes. The hardest tables aren't necessarily the most expensive ones.

• ~250 restaurantsRestaurants between the bridges

• 5 clustersMajor dining nodes on-island

  Coligny Plaza (Forest Beach), Sea Pines Center + Harbour Town (south end), Shelter Cove Harbour (mid-island east), Park Plaza / Old Town (mid-island), and Skull Creek (north end).

• ZeroReservations Skull Creek Boathouse acceptsSource: Skull Creek Boathouse

  Skull Creek runs strictly first-come / first-served regardless of party size. Half its seats are outdoors on the deck and afternoon thunderstorms can force a reshuffle indoors, so the kitchen needs flexibility.

• 1912Year the Hudson oyster company started on Skull CreekSource: Hudson's Seafood House on the Docks

  J.B. Hudson opened the original shucking house in 1912. The current Hudson's Seafood House on the Docks operates out of the same site at 1 Hudson Road — one of the longest-running food operations in the Lowcountry.

• Since 1982Charlie's L'Etoile Verte serving classic French

  Chef-owned independent. Walk-in waits routinely run 90+ minutes in season; reservations the only reliable way in.

More bike-path miles per resident than almost any U.S. resort town. A national wildlife refuge a five-minute drive off-island. Dolphins that strand-feed in front of you if you go out on the right tide.

• 60+ milesPaved bike paths on Hilton Head IslandSource: Town of Hilton Head Island

  More bike-path miles per resident than nearly any U.S. resort town. Most paths are physically separated from auto traffic.

• 17 milesBike paths inside Sea Pines alone

• 4,053 acresPinckney Island National Wildlife RefugeSource: US Fish & Wildlife Service

  A five-minute drive off-island over the Mackay Creek bridge. 14 miles of trails through maritime forest, salt marsh, and freshwater ponds. Established 1975.

• One of <10 sites worldwideWhere bottlenose dolphins strand-feedSource: NOAA Fisheries

  Dolphins herd schools of fish onto creek banks and beach themselves momentarily to grab the catch. Hilton Head's tidal creeks are one of the only documented places this behavior is taught generation-to-generation.

• May 1 – Oct 31Sea turtle nesting seasonSource: Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head

  Loggerhead turtles nest on Hilton Head beaches every summer. The Sea Turtle Patrol monitors and protects nests. Beach lighting ordinances enforced May–October.

• 93 ft / FreeHarbour Town Lighthouse height and admissionSource: Harbour Town Lighthouse

  Six stories, opened 1970. Free to climb. The top deck has panoramic views of Calibogue Sound and Daufuskie Island.

Three airports serve the island; one is on it. One road leads on and off — there's a backup toll bridge if traffic stacks up on US-278.

• HHHHilton Head Airport — on-islandSource: Hilton Head Island Airport

  IATA code HHH. Served seasonally by American Airlines from Charlotte (CLT) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). 5-minute drive to most lodging.

• 45 minDrive to Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV)Source: Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

  The main gateway for most travelers. Broader airline coverage than HHH and frequently cheaper.

• 2 hoursDrive to Charleston International (CHS)

  Useful for travelers combining Hilton Head with a Charleston add-on. Direct flights from more East Coast and Midwest cities than SAV.

• 4 hr 15 minDrive from Atlanta

  I-285 → I-20 → I-95 South → exit 8 / US-278 East. Friday afternoon summer traffic can push the drive past 5.5 hours.

• US 278The only road on and off the island

  Crosses the Mackay Creek bridge from Bluffton. The Cross Island Parkway (toll) provides a second on-island route from US 278 to the south end and skips the worst of the Sea Pines Circle congestion.

Loggerheads nest on the beach from May to October. Bottlenose dolphins live here year-round. The salt marsh out behind the island is the second-most-productive ecosystem in North America per acre, after the rainforest.

• Caretta carettaPrimary sea turtle species nesting on Hilton HeadSource: US Fish & Wildlife Service

  Loggerhead nesting season runs May through October. Greens and Kemp's ridleys nest in smaller numbers. Federal Endangered Species Act protections apply.

• Tursiops truncatusAtlantic bottlenose dolphin — resident speciesSource: NOAA Fisheries

  Resident pods live in Calibogue Sound, Broad Creek, and Skull Creek year-round. Average pod size 7–12 individuals. Lifespan ~40 years.

• 2nd most productiveSalt marsh ranking among North American ecosystemsSource: SC Department of Natural Resources

  Salt marshes produce more biomass per acre than any North American ecosystem except tropical rainforest. The Lowcountry has one of the highest marsh-to-upland ratios on the East Coast.

• 350+ speciesBirds recorded in the Lowcountry / Sea IslandsSource: eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology

  Pinckney Island NWR alone records 200+ species. Peak migration windows: April-May and September-October.

• Quercus virginianaLive oak — the island's signature tree

  The Sea Pines Liberty Oak at Harbour Town is roughly 400 years old. Live oaks shed leaves in spring (not fall) and hold Spanish moss in their canopy.

• Calculator

  How much does a Hilton Head trip cost?

  The real-numbers cost breakdown by lodging tier, party size, and season — with a free calculator.

• Climate

  Weather by month, all twelve months.

  Averages, water temps, what's open, and the booking lead time for every month of the year.

• FAQ

  Thirty direct answers about planning a trip.

  Pricing, timing, lodging, golf, family, comparisons — the questions every first-time visitor asks.