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This beach is worth paying the $10 toll to get onto the island! It's unlike anything I have ever seen! The trees are actually in the water! And the roots are deep in the sand on the beach! But they are bare and appear to be dead. I could stare at them for hours. .. The is the perfect place for pictures! Keep in mind, there are no bathrooms and very little parking if it's busy.
Let me just say this is an absolutely gorgeous beach and a must visit when on Jekyll Island! We had the best time goofing around, taking pictures, wading out in the water and mud sand that was insanely slippery to get even more pictures. If you want great photos this is the spot! It's a short walk from the gravel parking lot on the side of the road to the trail and then a short walk on the trail to the beach. I guarantee you've never seen anything like it before. It feels like you're in a different world with all the driftwood sculptures. Great place to walk along the beach and admire nature!
Best beach in the Golden Isles! I've been here twice, and this time I went through the entrance that connected to the bike path. Looking forward to riding bikes here in the near future. It feels Jurassic, as if you stepped back in time when on this beach. I've heard two stories about what happened here, one was a major storm that damaged the maritime forrest, and the other story is years of erosion. I could just google to figure it out- but I like hearing the stories from people from the area. If you're on Jekyll, you need to go to driftwood beach. Absolutely amazing place
This is one of those must-see places. And if you're a fan of the Walking Dead series, even more so. I don't watch it, but my husband does. He was happy to inform me that this beach was used in the filming of the Oceanside community of survivors in the TV show. And now that we have visited, I can picture it. The beach is accessible at several points -- one is even a paved pathway. But we followed someone else's post, and their dropped pin was a bit early. We wound up parking in an apartment lot and walking through a longer sandy path following the signs. If you drive a bit up the road, you'll easily see where all the cars are parked on the street and just follow the crowd. It's not that hard to get to the beach, but you may need to detour around a few of the fallen trees or enter the water at a couple points, depending on the tide. The first impression is of awe at the apocalyptic site, but also how beautiful all the twisted shapes of the wood appear. This was a former maritime forest that due to erosion over the years left behind all these dried out trees. Make sure you bring your phone or a camera as there are a ton of interesting shapes and many photo ops with the driftwood in the background. My pictures don't do it justice by any means. You can't take any of the driftwood as it's a protected site and the beach would be empty fairly fast. But the photos and the images in your memory will stay with you a long time. We were so glad we came here -- and you will be as well.
Lowcountry is my favorite part of this country. Jekyll Island is one of my favorite areas of the lowcountry. And Driftwood Beach is a sight to see within my favorite area of my favorite parts! It's unlike anything you'll see anywhere else. Unique and stunning in its own right. A must see when anywhere near the Georgia islands.
Do you want stagfwring views, gorgeous back grounds, jellyfish and shells? Then Driftwood beach may be your perfect spot. Pay your $10 per car fee to get onto Jekyll Island, qnd drive 4 miles north. Enjoy the 1950's - to modern home styles, as the drive is a beautiful one. There is street parking, but only on the left side of the street and only about 14 parking spots. The walk to the beach is easy to moderate while walking thru soft sand, until the beach, where ancient trees lay on their sides, and roots make for a gorgeous view. The day we were here, the beach was littered with the bodies of cannon ball jellyfish, which are surprisingly solid, so watch your feet. Enjoy the temperate water of the Atlantic ocean and the bright South Ga Sun for a perfect afternoon. read more
5 months ago
Wow, I'm so happy we were able to come here and see this beach for ourselves! You don't know the scale of how big these trees are until your standing right there! They are huge and so many, I've just never seen a beach like this. And they seem to be fossilized, the wood is very hard like stone! So cool! read more
2 months ago
Very cool spot. The other reviews describe it all. I specifically wanted to give review to let you all know there are vicious horse flies and mosquitoes that bite in broad daylight. So if you are planning to relax for a bit and stay in one spot, bring your bug spray. Otherwise, you will be okay walking around. read more
9 months ago
This beach is worth paying the $10 toll to get onto the island! It's unlike anything I have ever seen! The trees are actually in the water! And the roots are deep in the sand on the beach! But they are bare and appear to be dead. I could stare at them for hours. .. The is the perfect place for pictures! Keep in mind, there are no bathrooms and very little parking if it's busy. read more
3 months ago
3 months ago
Wow what an unbelievable beach to see. Short walk from the street and a few parking spots. Definitely worth a visit. read more
1 year ago
Let me just say this is an absolutely gorgeous beach and a must visit when on Jekyll Island! We had the best time goofing around, taking pictures, wading out in the water and mud sand that was insanely slippery to get even more pictures. If you want great photos this is the spot! It's a short walk from the gravel parking lot on the side of the road to the trail and then a short walk on the trail to the beach. I guarantee you've never seen anything like it before. It feels like you're in a different world with all the driftwood sculptures. Great place to walk along the beach and admire nature! read more
3 months ago
5 months ago
Amazing scenery. Must see! Make sure you look at tides for the day before you go do not want to get caught out there in high tide. Great place for pictures. Enjoy! read more
Wonderful beach that almost seems cinematic. Filled trees that have been weathered down to giant pieces of driftwood, this place is a must see. Parking is limited and you must be able to navigate sandy trails to get on the beach. Be sure to leave a shell on the shell tree if you read more
Best beach in the Golden Isles! I've been here twice, and this time I went through the entrance that connected to the bike path. Looking forward to riding bikes here in the near future. It feels Jurassic, as if you stepped back in time when on this beach. I've heard two stories about what happened here, one was a major storm that damaged the maritime forrest, and the other story is years of erosion. I could just google to figure it out- but I like hearing the stories from people from the area. If you're on Jekyll, you need to go to driftwood beach. Absolutely amazing place read more
This is one of those must-see places. And if you're a fan of the Walking Dead series, even more so. I don't watch it, but my husband does. He was happy to inform me that this beach was used in the filming of the Oceanside community of survivors in the TV show. And now that we have visited, I can picture it. The beach is accessible at several points -- one is even a paved pathway. But we followed someone else's post, and their dropped pin was a bit early. We wound up parking in an apartment lot and walking through a longer sandy path following the signs. If you drive a bit up the road, you'll easily see where all the cars are parked on the street and just follow the crowd. It's not that hard to get to the beach, but you may need to detour around a few of the fallen trees or enter the water at a couple points, depending on the tide. The first impression is of awe at the apocalyptic site, but also how beautiful all the twisted shapes of the wood appear. This was a former maritime forest that due to erosion over the years left behind all these dried out trees. Make sure you bring your phone or a camera as there are a ton of interesting shapes and many photo ops with the driftwood in the background. My pictures don't do it justice by any means. You can't take any of the driftwood as it's a protected site and the beach would be empty fairly fast. But the photos and the images in your memory will stay with you a long time. We were so glad we came here -- and you will be as well. read more
Lowcountry is my favorite part of this country. Jekyll Island is one of my favorite areas of the lowcountry. And Driftwood Beach is a sight to see within my favorite area of my favorite parts! It's unlike anything you'll see anywhere else. Unique and stunning in its own right. A must see when anywhere near the Georgia islands. read more
1 year ago
Beautiful beaches with natural driftwood. Lots of open space with sand and minimal rocks. Perfect for hanging out with family. More private than most beaches in the area. read more
1 year ago
Amazing place. My jaw hit the sand when we walked out to the beach. You do need to park near the road and take a short walk. The place is out of a movie. Great photo or video spot. Perfect for wedding shots. Craps are on the wood, so be careful. We will be back soon! read more
Wow!! What a sight! I'm not sure what I expected but driftwood really made me think on a small scale and BOY!!! Was I wrong?!?! It is amazing. Not a lot of parking but you can park further and walk. It's beautiful. It's a sight I haven't seen to this extent! Not just the trees but the thousands of shells everywhere. It is definitely worth going. There is a cost to get into the state park but then there are shops, food, and lots of beaches that all round out the visit! Got so many amazing pics!! read more
This beach does require paying admission to Jekyll Island (they call it a parking fee, but there's a gate to get onto the island where you have to pay it). Even though I arrived later than planned, it was still abundantly worth it, and while signs warned to leave sea turtles alone (I did not see any), nothing was preventing one from hanging around at the beach after dark. There are a lot of barrier islands in South Carolina and Georgia, and several beaches full of dead trees like this one, but most of them are not nearly as convenient to get to. The restricted access keeps the island relatively natural. It's a nice balance. Plenty of people were around for the sunset, but one had free reign of a large swath of beach and the crowds thinned out. I saw occasional crabs, but not an enormous amount of wildlife and notably no sand dollars. The water was quite warm and relatively calm when I was there. The aesthetics of living and dead plants against the sea and sand were quite splendid. There were other nice things on the island, but I would think that most visitors would definitely want to find themselves here at some point. read more
Consistently ranked as one of the top beaches in the United States and it's amazing to see how accessible it is. Sure, there isn't much parking along the street but what there is seems to work. It is a 100 yard walk from the roadway down a sand pathway to the beach. And the beach is amazing. Firm sand, flat beach and of course, all of the twisted trees and driftwood are just here and worth looking at. Easy for that photo opportunity you need. It's absolutely beautiful. [Review 19339 overall - 578 in Georgia - 309 of 2023.] read more
The pictures don't do this beach justice! Yes the water is murky. No there's not much area to pop up an umbrella and hang out for the day but you must go here to admire the beauty of the trees in the water, climb the trees, and take in the scenery! read more
4 years ago
Very cool beach so close to Jax. Hubby and I took a little day trip to check out different areas of coastal Georgia. I really enjoyed walking along driftwood beach. So much beauty! It's a very unique beach and a great spot for a photo shoot - e.g. engagement, maternity, family, etc. It's definitely worth a visit! read more
This was a nice beach to come and walk for a little bit. It's not a big beach, but there's plenty of room to walk and take pictures by the driftwood trees. It is dog friendly, but not stroller friendly. People were picnicking, looking for shells, playing in the water, and enjoying the sunshine. There is plenty of parking on the sides of the roads. read more
What an amazing and awesome place !!! Jekyll Island itself is beautiful but this beach takes the cake. The trees make amazing sculptures and scenery and worth the visit. We went at low tide and found shells and sand dollars to take home. read more
This place was absolutely stunning. You can park on the side of the road and take a short hike to the beach. I recommend wearing sandals as some of the beach, a very wet sand at low tide you're not allowed to remove any driftwood from the beach, to preserve the natural beauty.the fallen trees from erosion overtime and the driftwood on the beach is absolutely gorgeous. Definitely make sure you take tons of pictures. read more
Such an amazing wonder! A must visit beach, even if only for pictures. That's what the hubs and I did. It was such a unique and somewhat awing thing to gaze upon. There were so many twisty and bendy trees and branches just sitting right on the beach. There were some spraggly ones that were in the tide zone area just trying to hold on. This place is def one of the most unique and natural places to visit. It's just crazy to imagine the lives these trees must have gone thru for them to end up at the current state. And to also imagine the area being ever evolving. We planned on swimming, but the mosquitoes were biting us as we wandered near the brushes more inland. They were vicious! And they hurt too even if you're wearing a thin, long sleeve top. I'm not sure about the water, but I assume it's fairly not frigid (we swam at another beach nearby). read more
1 year ago
So peaceful. No crowd. Absolutely beautiful what Mother Nature does when she is left alone. I could have spent the day there reading a book. Only issue was some uneducated, disrespectful idiot left graffiti on one of the downfalls. read more
This beach is beautiful. The driftwood is unique and enormous. There was a lot more of it than I had imagined. My walks consistently took towards some of the bigger trees where I would just stare in amazement of natures beauty. The storms and waves consistently transform the way the beach looks so each time I come back it has a new look. Parking can be found in a few locations. When busy, you may need to drive around a bit to get a spot. I would definitely check this place out. read more
This beach is MAGICAL. It's filled with driftwood, each piece a unique natural piece of art to look at, climb on and sit against for a rest. It was rated as #10 in TripAdvisor's 25 best beaches in America! GREAT WALKING BEACH! It's a Long Beach with so much to see. It's located on northern end of the island, and you can see nice views of St Simons Island, not far across the way. The waters between Jekyll and St Simons serve as the entry point to the Brunswick Port Authority so you can watch the ships coming in/out of harbor. You can walk from Jekyll beach all the way around the top tip of the island. There is a trail you can join that takes you to the pier and restrooms (when you need to become the pier - ba dum). HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS line the beach. While walking the beach, be on the lookout for the tank tract. I'm not sure if it's a military artifact or from farming equipment heralding back to when this area used to be a plantation. There are also ruins of the cottages that used to be located right on the water, where you can see foundations that remain to tell this history. Like many beaches along the southeastern coast, you can be on the lookout for ancient shark teeth fossils that wash ashore. If you are interested in a weird scavenger hunt then be in lookout for a shirted arm that is stuck under a large driftwood tree that fell over. I suppose this was someone's attempt at dark humor. See picture to know what you are looking for. THE WATER at Jekyll is brown. There are a couple major rivers that dump out into the ocean at Jekyll that bring plenty of the marsh dirty to color the water. It doesn't make for the prettiest water front for swimming. I feel this beach is best for walking or simply sitting in a chair and relaxing. I highly recommend a visit to Driftwood Beach. If you haven't been then you are missing out on a local gem! read more
This is one of the best parts of the Golden Islands. No visit to Jekyll Island is complete without coming here. It's a popular destination, so during this time of Covid surging wear your mask and stay safe until you find yourself a remote spot to camp out distanced from others. You park alongside of the road. If you're lucky, try to catch sunrise or visit like I most recently did on a foggy day. You'll experience a truly magical visit to this perfect example of earth's bounties even if you don't have the chance for either suggestion. Many folks stop to take pictures, so be prepared for that as well as those who seem to think they own a particular tree and won't move so others can enjoy a picture. People, they can be strange, I guess. Do be sure to get in a nice walk past the initial driftwood, depending on where you enter. We walked for two miles to catch a glimpse of the bridge and SSI across the way. Nobody walked that far except us. It was so worth it. read more
3 years ago
A wondrous, and stunning view! Like something out of a fantasy movie/novel. Never have I seen such jaw dropping scenery. I walked down the shoreline and enjoyed the morning sunrise, it was super peaceful and relaxing. If you go to Jekyll Island, you HAVE to stop by here at-least once. *Respect the turtles and stay off the dunes* read more
You should absolutely stop by for a visit while on the island. Five years ago, my rating would be highest, but due to the past storms the driftwood has diminished in size. Still dramatic and one of the better nature scenes with fossilized trees against the ocean. It is concentrated in one area, so you won't spend a lot of time here unless you are an avid photographer. Tip: skip the parking lot (Yelp GPS) and enter through the bike path for a more picturesque cluster of trees. Off-street parking available. read more
If I had to write a review about this beach in one word, it would be WHOA! When we moved to the area, I asked local friends about beaches, and besides the usual recommendation of Tybee Island and Hilton Head, one friend recommended Driftwood Beach (DB) on Jekyll Island. I had seen a couple of photographs here and there, but didn't realize the true beauty until this past weekend. Once a maritime forest, the driftwood is a result of decades of erosion. There are a few trees right in the water close to shore, but the shore is just like a maze of driftwood. I've never seen anything like it before. It's truly a unique beach. We arrived shortly after 9 am and the beach was already full of eager beach goers. I guess I underestimated the "early-ness" of our departure to avoid the crowds. I truly thought people would have flocked to the beaches on the south end, but I'm sure if DB was that full, it must have been more so for the others. Anyway, we walked up and down the shores to explore these massive trees that had been knocked over. I couldn't stop snapping pics. I would love to come back on another day for sunset. Tips: - Parking - we plugged in Driftwood Beach parking and it took us to a small lot right in front of the main pathway to access the beach. There is a small lot for cars to park side by side and then more spaces one after another along the road. - I would have thought this would have been more of a walking beach, but there were a few people who came to set up for a beach day. Again, it was Memorial Day weekend, so maybe thee beach is not usually this packed, but I would probably go to another beach for fun in the sun. Plus, you never know if you're going to step on a dead root or something. I also noticed an unusual amount of clay (which can be fun for the kids to play, but super messy). - Awesome location for for family pics and a photographer's dream! I'm no pro, but I couldn't stop taking pictures (as you can see LOL). It was just so beautiful! If you're on Jekyll Island, don't miss this beauty! read more
So, Driftwood is definitely a "walk around and checkout the unique coastline of dead trees" type of beach not a "pitch an umbrella and play in the sand" beach. I say this so parents can prep kids' expectations as I heard a decent amount of whining from one my minis, "so when can we go to a real beach with real sand and maybe some shells too?" Of course, he enjoyed the trees & even climbed a bit & took pix but also walked around dejected fully expecting to make use of his beach bucket. Sorry, kiddo. Thanks goes to another Yelper's parking tip & the best beach access point otherwise I think there would have been lots of turning around trying figure out where to go. Turning around on a two-lane round is never fun. Overall, it's worth the visit for a leisurely stroll to enjoy the great outdoors & take some unique pix. - Watch your kiddos. There can be a few muddy "piles" which were very slippery (learned the hard way but glad my kiddo caught himself before becoming a muddy mess (I didn't have an extra set of clothes in the car). Also, there's some rocky areas that little ones will need to be careful around. - Google the the tide charts since it's better to go around low tide (aka more beach to walk around) PARKING: https://goo.gl/maps/TuzGYrRsYSKFrC769 Once you get to this particular beach access point, the path splits off into a paved bike path and sandy path to the beach. read more
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N End Of Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island, GA 31527
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Driftwood Beach - beaches - Updated July 2026
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