Hilton Head is a twelve-mile barrier island with 19 miles of hard-packed sandy beach. Wildlife is part of daily life here — dolphins surface close to shore, alligators sun themselves by lagoons, and the tree canopy of palmetto, live oak, and pine is thick enough to shade most of the roads.
The island is best known for golf and tennis, with dozens of courses and courts spread across resort communities like Sea Pines, Palmetto Dunes, and Shipyard. Miles of paved trails make biking a practical way to get around as well as a leisure activity. Kayak and boat tours run through the tidal creeks and marshes surrounding the island, a good way to get close to the shorebirds and estuarine wildlife.