OutdoorsDog-Friendly Lowcountry: Beaches, Patios, Dog Parks and TrailsDog beaches from Hilton Head to Isle of Palms with their leash rules and hours by season, restaurant patios that welcome dogs, fenced dog parks, and the forts, gardens and trails a leashed dog can walk.November opens the Lowcountry’s beaches to dogs. On Hilton Head Island a dog can be on the sand at any hour, on a leash or under voice control, from October through March, according to the Town of Hilton Head Island. Isle of Palms allows dogs off the leash from 4pm to 10am between September 15 and March 31. Sullivan’s Island allows it from 5am to noon until the end of April, and the Kiawah beach at Beachwalker Park from dawn to dusk until the end of February. This guide covers the beaches, the patios, the fenced dog parks and the trails, forts and gardens where a dog on a lead is welcome. Every beach rule below comes from the town’s or the park’s own published page. The dog beach guide shows which rule applies at each beach right now. Beach Rules by Season Each town sets its own hours, and neighbouring beaches differ. “Off-leash” on Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island and Kiawah still means the owner carries a leash and the dog answers to voice command. BeachCool seasonWarm seasonIn November Hilton Head IslandOctober to March: leash or voice control at any hourApril to the Thursday before Memorial Day, and the Tuesday after Labor Day to September 30: leashed 10am–5pm. Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day: no dogs 10am–5pm. Leash or voice control at all other hoursOff-leash any hour Isle of PalmsSeptember 15 to March 31: off-leash 4pm–10am, leashed 10am–4pmApril 1 to September 14: off-leash 5am–9am, leashed the rest of the day, in the water tooOff-leash 4pm–10am Sullivan’s IslandOctober 1 to April 30: off-leash 5am–noon, leashed noon–5amMay 1 to September 30: off-leash 5am–10am, no dogs 10am–6pm, leashed 6pm–5amOff-leash 5am–noon Beachwalker Park, KiawahOctober 16 to February 28: off-leash dawn to dusk, leashed from dusk to dawnMarch 1 to October 15: leashed at all timesOff-leash dawn to dusk Folly BeachOctober 1 to April 30: leashed at any hourMay 1 to September 30: no dogs 10am–6pm, leashed at other hoursLeashed Edisto Beach (town)November 1 to April 30: under the owner’s controlMay 1 to October 31: leashedUnder control Edisto Beach State ParkLeashed all year, on a leash no longer than six feetLeashed Hunting Island State ParkLeashed all year, on a leash no longer than six feetLeashed Botany Bay, Edisto IslandNo dogs on the beach or on the causeway to itNo dogs Tybee IslandNo dogs on the beach at any time of yearNo dogs Permits and Closed Areas Hilton Head Island. A shorebird area near Fish Haul Creek is set to close to dogs once Town Council adopts the code change. Town rules Isle of Palms. Rabies tag on the collar. Residents can get a free yearly dog permit from the Police Department. City rules Sullivan’s Island. A town dog licence is required for every dog on the island, visitors included: $50, or $25 for residents. Town licence page Beachwalker Park, Kiawah. No dogs in the critical habitat areas at either end of the island, all year. Town of Kiawah Island Folly Beach. No dogs on the pier. City rules Edisto Beach (town). The leash rule runs May 1 to October 31; the rest of the year a dog needs only to be under its owner’s control. Town of Edisto Beach Edisto Beach State Park. No pets in the cabins. SC State Parks Hunting Island State Park. No dogs past the posted markers at the tip of North Beach, on the pier or in the lighthouse complex. SC State Parks Botany Bay, Edisto Island. The rule covers the beach and the causeway to it, all year. SCDNR rules Tybee Island. Off-leash only inside the city’s dog park. City of Tybee Island Coligny Beach ParkHilton Head IslandSullivan’s IslandCharlestonBeachwalker ParkKiawah IslandHunting Island State ParkBeaufort Hilton Head Island Hilton Head is the easiest beach on the coast for a dog from fall to spring. From October through March the whole island beach is open to dogs at every hour, and in summer the only closed window is 10am to 5pm. Coligny Beach Park is the busiest access. Driessen, Folly Field, Islanders and Burkes Beach follow the same town rule. Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island The two islands across the Breach Inlet bridge from each other have the longest off-leash hours near Charleston. In November a dog on Isle of Palms can run from 4pm through to 10am the next morning, and on Sullivan’s Island from 5am to noon. Sullivan’s Island requires its own dog licence for visiting dogs, sold at Town Hall, 2056 Middle Street, 8am to 5pm on weekdays. The town asks for a driver’s licence and a current rabies certificate, and will not take a certificate within two weeks of expiring. Kiawah and Edisto Beachwalker Park is the one public access to Kiawah Island, run by Charleston County Parks. From October 16 to February 28 the Town of Kiawah allows dogs off the leash on the beach from dawn to dusk. On Edisto, the town beach relaxes its leash rule from November 1, and the state park next to it keeps a six-foot leash all year. Tybee Island Tybee keeps dogs off its beach all year, and the city’s dog park is the place a dog may run off the leash on the island. Leashed dogs walk the island’s streets. A yellow labrador asleep under a wooden table on a covered creekside restaurant deck, a steel water bowl beside it and shrimp boats moored across the creek. Restaurant Patios Every restaurant below seats dogs outdoors, on a patio, a deck or a porch. Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek publishes a dog menu and welcomes dogs on its waterfront patio. The full list of restaurants with dog-friendly outdoor seating is in the dog-friendly patios guide. RestaurantDog seatingArea Green Truck Neighborhood PubThe tented front patio (JetSetPets)Savannah Hudson’s Seafood House on the DocksOutdoor tables (BringFido)Hilton Head Skull Creek BoathouseThe outdoor Marker 13 Buoy Bar (Hilton Head Island visitor guide)Hilton Head Poogan’s PorchThe front porch on Queen Street, weather permitting (BringFido)Charleston Saltwater CowboysThe waterfront patio on Shem Creek, with a dog menu (Saltwater Cowboys)Mount Pleasant Red’s Ice HouseThe covered patio on Shem Creek (BringFido)Mount Pleasant Saltwater CowboysMount PleasantPoogan’s PorchCharlestonSkull Creek BoathouseHilton HeadGreen Truck Neighborhood PubSavannah Saltwater Cowboys and Red’s Ice House are both on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, next to the Shem Creek boardwalk. A black labrador and a scruffy terrier splashing into a lake at the edge of a fenced dog park among tall pines. Dog Parks A fenced dog park is the place a dog can run off the leash on any day of the year. Charleston County Parks runs dog parks at James Island, Palmetto Islands and Wannamaker county parks, and admission at the Palmetto Islands and Wannamaker gates is $2 a person, free for children two and under and for Gold Pass holders. Every park below is in the dog park directory. Dog parkDetailsArea Herty Pines Dog Park, Daffin ParkIn Daffin ParkSavannah Mother Mathilda Beasley Park500 E. Broad Street, park open 8am–10pm daily (Chatham County)Savannah Tybee Island Dog ParkThe one place on Tybee where a dog may be off the leash (City of Tybee Island)Tybee Island Bluffton Dog Park, Oscar Frazier ParkTown of BlufftonBluffton Chaplin Community Park Dog ParkThe town’s dog park, 11 Cast Net Drive. Park open 6am–9pm, 6am–6pm in winter (Town of Hilton Head Island)Hilton Head Southside Dog ParkCity of BeaufortBeaufort James Island County Park Dog ParkCharleston County ParksJames Island Palmetto Islands County Park Dog ParkNatural grass. Closed until 9am on Tuesdays for maintenance (Charleston County Parks)Mount Pleasant Rifle Range Dog ParkThe town’s dog park, off Rifle Range RoadMount Pleasant Wannamaker County Park Dog ParkGrass, shade structures and a water fountain. Closed until 10am on Thursdays for maintenance (Charleston County Parks)North Charleston A leashed border collie walking ahead of its owner on a curving boardwalk through golden salt marsh, with live oaks hung with Spanish moss beyond. Trails, Forts and Gardens Several of the region’s best-known historic sites take leashed dogs on their grounds. The dog-friendly outdoors guide lists more parks, preserves and refuges. Fort Pulaski National Monument, Savannah Dogs on a leash of six feet or less may go inside the fort itself and along every hiking trail on the monument, according to the National Park Service. The visitor center is the one building they cannot enter. Fort Pulaski sits on Cockspur Island on the road to Tybee. Forsyth Park, Savannah The City of Savannah’s leash law covers its parks and squares, so a leashed dog can walk Forsyth Park and the squares of the historic district. Spanish Moss Trail, Beaufort The Spanish Moss Trail in Beaufort is open dawn to dusk, and dogs walk it on a leash of six feet or less, with waste stations along the way (Spanish Moss Trail). Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on the Beaufort River is the walk downtown. Magnolia Plantation and Boone Hall, Charleston Leashed dogs on a six-foot lead are welcome across the 66 acres of grounds at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, in the gardens and in the Audubon Swamp Garden (Magnolia). Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant allows leashed dogs on its grounds, though not in the house or on the tractor tours (Boone Hall). White Point Garden and Fort Moultrie, Charleston White Point Garden at the tip of the Charleston peninsula is one of the city’s off-leash areas from dawn until 9am and from 5pm until 11pm (City of Charleston). Across the harbor, Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island welcomes leashed dogs on its paths, trails and grounds outside the fort walls (National Park Service). Fort PulaskiSavannahMagnolia PlantationCharlestonWhite Point GardenCharlestonForsyth ParkSavannah Ferries and Boats The Daufuskie Island ferry carries leashed dogs outside the passenger cabin for $25 a pet (Lowcountry Ferry). Kayak outfitters, dolphin cruises and more boats that take dogs are in the dog-friendly activities guide, and hotels that take dogs are in the dog-friendly stays guide. Dog KitThree things cover nearly every rule in this guide. A six-foot leashSouth Carolina state parks and the National Park Service set six feet as the longest lead, and the off-leash beaches still expect a leash in hand. Water and a bowlA collapsible bowl and a bottle for the beach and the trail, waste bags, and a towel for the car afterwards. The paperworkA rabies tag on the collar for Isle of Palms, a Sullivan’s Island dog licence for that beach, and a Charleston County Parks Gold Pass, $99 plus tax or $84 plus tax for county residents, for regular visits to the county dog parks. A dog life jacket is the fourth purchase for anyone renting a kayak with a dog. Pet shops, groomers and dog washes are in the pet services directory. Tips Signs posted at a beach access are the rule on the day, and towns change their hours from time to time. On Hilton Head, an area near Fish Haul Creek is set to close to dogs for shorebirds, marked by signs. On Kiawah, the critical habitat areas at both ends of the island are closed to dogs all year. The dogs guide brings the beaches, patios, parks and stays together on one page.