Mitchellville Beach Park
Turn off of 278 unto Beach City Road (at the light). Beach City Road is easy to find as it is the access road to the public library, hospital, and airport terminal, which are clearly marked with directional signs, on 278. Follow Beach City Rd. until you reach the crossroads with the stop sign (about 2 miles), and turn left unto Fish Haul Road. A few hundred yards after turning unto Fish Haul Road you can turn right unto Mitchellville Road; Mitchellville Rd. is a "loop" and this end of it is dirt (although a quite good and trustworthy route). If you wish to travel a little further to get to the park, and stay on paved roads; you may continue on Fish Haul Rd. and turn right at its next intersection with Mitchellville. If you choose the dirt road it will lead to a hard left turn; shortly thereafter it becomes paved and the entrance to the beach and park will be on the right.
Mitchellville actually fronts Port Royal Sound, rather than the ocean; it is a great beach for fishing and shelling and perhaps, sunbathing. This beach is not recommended for swimming, as there are a lot of shells that are uncomfortable to step on at least, and could injure bare feet at worst, not to mention this area of Port Royal Sound is a popular feeding ground for Hammerhead, Shovelhead and Black Tip Shark. Purposefully fishing for shark is illegal on all Hilton Head beaches, but it is practically impossible to surf fish from either Mitchellville or Fish Haul Beach without hooking up with a few of the smaller ones.
Parking is free at Mitchellville, and there is plenty of it, there are also restrooms as well, but no vending machines, showers, or Beach Patrol Services. A short walk through a wooded path leads to the beach, where matting has been thoughtfully supplied for wheelchairs and strollers. As in most places, the matting does stop just a few feet short of the harder packed sand; causing a short struggle before easy rolling is, once again, reached. There is absolutely no shopping or restaurants within walking distance in any direction. You'll want to make sure you bring everything you may need with you, as the closest shopping and restaurants are located on Main Street, (which can be accessed from Hospital Dr., near its intersection with Beach City Rd.).
To the left of the parking lot (as you enter) there is a short wooded path, only a few feet long, which leads to a boardwalk, which in turn crosses the marsh and leads to Barker Field Park: where you can find more restrooms, paved bicycle and walking trails and a wooden pier and observation deck, complete with binoculars. From this observation deck you can get a closer look at Parris, Fripp, and other islands on the north side of the sound.
