Driftwood Beach

Absolutely epic experience. Beautiful trees and trails on the beach and from the parking area down to the beach. Such a fun little adventure and easy to hike and navigate. One of a kind experience. So many beautiful natural landscapes with trees and water making for Holy Spirit type experiences in God‘s creation, as well as photography and nature. 🔥🎚️🔥🇺🇸🔐🧙‍♂️🪁

Driftwood Beach is absolutely spectacular! Walking along the shore feels like stepping into another world, with massive, weathered driftwood trees creating a hauntingly beautiful landscape. It's a true unforgettable experience. It’s the perfect spot for photography, a peaceful stroll, or just taking in the views. Highly recommend if you're visiting the Golden Isles to stop and experience.

What a unique beach experience! I love that you go through a “gate” to get on the island and you pay for parking at the gate and then can park wherever you want without needing to worry about limited parking or parking meters. The whole island feels like a resort. Very quiet and tranquil! You will want to spend the whole day here among the driftwood! We had planned to visit other spots but we enjoyed it so much we stayed here the entire time. Unique shells and things you dont see on the other beaches.

riftwood Beach on Jekyll Island is an absolutely stunning and unique spot. The natural beauty of the area is unlike anything I’ve experienced, with large, weathered tree trunks scattered across the beach, creating an almost surreal landscape. It’s the perfect place to take a peaceful walk, enjoy the scenery, or snap some amazing photos. The beach itself is quiet and serene, ideal for those looking to escape the crowds and enjoy some time by the ocean. Whether you’re there to relax, explore, or just take in the beauty, Driftwood Beach is definitely worth a visit. Highly recommend it for anyone seeking a tranquil, picturesque escape!

Unique Beach … It’s an escape to another world due to its uniqueness. This beach is very cool, with a plethora of driftwood scattered everywhere. It is a nice place to walk, but be mindful of the black or brown mud areas, which can be extremely slippery. The best part of this beach is that it is a pet-friendly beach.

Such an awesome beach! It's dangerous, be careful with little kids. The mud is extremely slick and there's sharp rocks covered in mussels and shells. This is not a beach for swimming. That said, there's all kinds of cool marine life here. Tons of whole conch shells, sea anemones, crabs, fish, etc. the driftwood is like nothing I've ever seen. There's massive driftwood everywhere, it's very cool. I didn't see any bathrooms but there are public bathrooms just down the road. Oh, the bugs are terrible. You can try to spray bug spray but I'm not sure it'll help... There's just so much protein for the gnats to eat.

What a very unique and interesting beach and experience! I wasn't expecting much, but was very surprised to see so many driftwood on the beach. It was like walking through a magical forest of driftwood. Make sure to go at low tide.

Absolutely amazing and unique. I've been to many beaches, never seen one like this before. I didn't even know that the name was actually literal. So neat!

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.

Definitely worth stopping here. If you drive the loop of the island you'll see little parking lots that do not look like they will take you to a beautiful beach but they do.

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!

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!!

Walked from the Jekyll island campground Went early morning during low tide. It was amazing to walk through and around all the driftwood trees. Definitely a photographers delight.

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.

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.

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.

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.]

So interesting and unique to see. It's definitely worth the trip if you are in the area.

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!

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.

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).

Go here. Now. Don't miss it. Bring plenty of bug spray and keep on it. Bring a camera. Sunset is nice but just go anytime you can!

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.

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*

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!

World class drift wood. Perfect for any lumber lover or anyone wants to be carpenter! I would bring the family here, but leave that beaver at home!

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.

Incredible, tranquil place early morning for sunrise. Silhouette's of driftwood contrasted with dawn provides surreal views.

Ever changing yet still captivating, Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island continues to present the allure of Earths' natural forces for all to see easily, year after year. Go and enjoy.

Love this Place! You need to see it at least once if you are a beach lover. Xxxxxx

A beautiful place to have a wedding trust! The trees, the animals and the water it's just a gorgeous place.

The most beautiful spot on Jekyll Island. Great for photography. My grandkids insist on going every visit so we do.

Pretty far back from the entrance but worth a stop!! Great photo ops & beautiful at sunset.

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.

We were on Jekyll Island for a small visit for a couple of days, and decided to try some places that we had not been to before. One of those places was Driftwood Beach, which apparently my mother had been to, but I had not. The trek out to the beach is not a long one, and parking is usually not an issue. Once on the beach, I would recommend low tide. That is when we arrived, and the structures of deadwood on the beach are amazing. You can walk for quite a ways along the beach viewing the different bits of driftwood that have piled up on this beach over time. As we were walking along the beach, the tide was starting to come in, and seeing the differences in things as the tide rose was also a neat feature. Definitely worth a visit.

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!

Amazing unusual beach with giant sun bleached trees - worth the $8 entry to Jekyll Island. The trees remain standing or fallen whole in time

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.

Simply gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it. We walked up and down the beach several times just staring in awe at the haunted beauty of this beach

This place is amazing!!!! Take the time to park and walk the beach with all the different trees. We went during low tide and close to sunset and it was getting crowded with people taking pictures, but it wasn't that bad as there is space to move around. I wouldn't want to get stuck when it gets dark, so definitely make your way back before it's dusk. A must do in Jekyll.

Absolutely amazing views. Storm rolling in today making it stunning and almost ominous with the fallen trees. Tiny crabs all over. Absolutely gorgeous

Stunningly beautiful! What an amazing act of nature to capture on photo and in person.

When work is stressful back in AZ I'm going to google earth exactly where I was on Jekyll Island to the fishing pier and beach and come back to visit here time and time again. WOW!

One of the best beaches on the island. Definitely a fun time and great location for photos. Our son makes us come every time we're in the area.

My husband and I got our 5 year anniversary photos done here. Once I saw the place the first time, I knew that is what I wanted to do! I can see why people have their wedding here and why the film industry uses this because a lot . You're not going to find a beach like it. They're is also a. Company that does horse back riding here.

Great beach very quiet. I recommend wearing crocs because you have walk on rocks to get to the beach. I watched a little girl cry in pain because she walked on them bare foot. Little shade so definitely bring umbrella or shaded chair. I didn't see a water area to wash your feet when done. It is very pretty and great photo opportunities with the driftwood trees that washed on the beach.

Beautiful unique place to see , take bug spray mosquitoes are BAD! Scenery is beautiful

Driftwood Beach is one of the things that should be at the top of everyone's Georgia Bucket List. It's absolutely beautiful, no matter the weather. It's stunning in the golden hour, but there's something hauntingly beautiful about cloudy mist too. I would love to see people appreciating the natural area though and pick up after themselves. There's kites and banners from weddings in the trees right now and that's really disappointing.

Pretty cool spot but those Georgia gnats are WILD!!! The gnats were fighting their way in my eyes, my nose, my mouth, my ears- it was unreal! It cut our visit short so we weren't able to really walk the beach and enjoy it as others have but it was still beautiful and unique nonetheless. Looking forward to returning a different time of the year and have a different experience. October is a scary time to go, literally!

Love this beach! I've been to New Zealand's pink sand & black sand beaches, Bora Bora's surreal atolls, Viet Nam's mystical shores with Junk ships sailing feet away, but Driftwood Beach is just so special to me. Sadly, erosion (global warming) has created the "driftwood" on this beach. As tides wade in, ocean has eaten away at the live oak forest at the northeastern portion of Jekyll Island. Slight good news is that sand is being redeposited at the southern end of the island, but it's certainly not a fair trade. The carcasses of these noble oaks are sinking in tide-soaked sand, before a slow salty drag out to sea. A similar sight can be seen at Boneyard Beach just over the border in FL. Driftwood or a boneyard, whatever you call it, the trees have made a surreal sight along the shore, and are very popular with family and couples photography shoots, nature photographers, and tourists. This beach gets PACKED on weekends. Parking is available in two dirt/gravel lots, as well as along the road. But this fills up fast, and the road is not fun to walk if you have to park a distance away. I recommend arriving early, or choosing a less popular time to visit. I avoid Driftwood on weekends, in favor of South Dunes Beach or Glory Beach. They do not have driftwood, but are never very crowded, and are beautiful in their own right. There are some really cool crab holes along the main entrance to Driftwood Beach. Also, you cross some marsh area along the main entrance as well. Interesting birds are often hanging out in the marsh. There are bike/walking trails near both entrances to Driftwood, but this portion of the island does not have sidewalks along the road. There are bike racks at one entrance, but bikes are permitted on Driftwood Beach. Driftwood has been said to be haunted. In the 1910s, William J. Hart, the man in charge of wildlife protection, ran across turtle egg poachers on Driftwood Beach. One of the poachers shot Hart dead. They say he patrols the beach at dawn. I recommend walking Driftwood Beach at sunset, from the main entrance northward. Round the top of the island, and you will see the sun setting new Sidney Lanier Bridge off in the distance. You will pass the horseback riders at Clam Creek when the sun is setting. As it sets, walk back along the trail that connects back to Driftwood from Clam Creek Picnic Area. It is a few miles total (sorry, I haven't clocked it), but it's an amazing walk. You will not be able to walk back along Driftwood Beach at this time of day. The tide will have come in, and it is not safe at all for you to attempt to walk back on that beach. And also for safety, note that if you are walking this full circle, all the way back to the Driftwood Beach parking lot, you will need bug repellent along the nature tail, and possibly a flashlight, depending on your pace. There is nothing but wilderness along that trail, and it gets a little spooky in the dark. So don't stay too long watching the sunset, and keep a quick pace back to the parking lot. But it is very worth doing at that time of day, for the beautiful views, and the effects of setting sunlight along the beach.

A very interesting beach with lots of room to walk around. You have to pick your time right and do it at low tide or there is no beach to walk. The trees must have died in a storm years ago and it looks like a boneyard. Sad. It's great because it's free parking near the road unlike so many places where there's a meter everywhere you go. For now anyway. Bring some bug spray because the black Gnats were out in force here and most everywhere near the water.

This is a very cool place. So cool that there were several photographers taking pics of families amongst the fallen trees. My pictures can explain better but if you are ever on or near Jekyll Island you need to stop here and enjoy the views.

Beautiful!!!!!!! Worth the hour drive for sure! We went on our way back from Savannah and it was breathtaking. Will definitely be going again!

Gorgeous spot! So worth the trip. Beautiful beach with giant trees. Great place to talk about biodiversity wit

Awesomeness ... place is very nice and great for all ages... I would highly recommend... bring your bike