Updated November 2026 with current SCDNR hours and rules.
Botany Bay is the easiest big adventure you can take from an Edisto Beach rental. Twenty minutes up the road from town, the 4,687-acre preserve has a wild beach with bleached trees standing in the surf, plantation ruins and miles of dirt road under live oaks. It’s free, but it isn’t a beach day like the one in town: there are no restrooms, no swimming, no shells to take home, and the beach disappears at high tide. Here’s how to plan a half day there from Edisto Beach.
Botany Bay Day Trip at a Glance
- Hours: 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset.
- Closed: Every Tuesday, and on scheduled hunt days, mostly September through January.
- Cost: Free. Every visitor fills out a day-use pass at the kiosk at the main gate.
- Getting there: From town, take Highway 174 north about 8 miles and turn right onto Botany Bay Road, then follow the signs to the gate.
- Time to allow: 2–4 hours for the beach walk and a loop of the driving tour.
- Best timing: Arrive so you reach the beach in the couple of hours around low tide.
- Contact: SCDNR, (843) 844-8957
Plan Around the Tide and the Calendar
Two things decide whether your Botany Bay trip works, and you can check both from your rental the night before.
- The tide. SCDNR says the beach is only accessible at low tide. Near high tide there is little or no dry sand, and you can get cut off among the trees until the water drops. Look up the day’s low tide on the Edisto tide chart; a falling tide gives you the most time.
- The closure calendar. Besides every Tuesday, the preserve closes for deer and dove hunts, mostly in fall and winter. The gate is several miles down a dirt road, so check first. EdistoIsland.com keeps the full Botany Bay guide with this season’s hunt closure dates, the 15-stop driving tour and the plantation’s history.
A Half-Day Plan from Edisto Beach
- Before you leave town: Use the restroom, fill water bottles, and pack bug spray, sunscreen and a bag for your trash. There are no facilities or trash cans at Botany Bay.
- The drive in: Botany Bay Road runs under a canopy of live oaks before you reach the gate. Fill out your day pass at the kiosk, then drive about 2 miles of dirt road to the crossroads and follow signs to beach parking.
- The beach walk: It’s about a half mile from the parking area to the sand, on a wheelchair-accessible causeway across the marsh and through a strip of woods. Bikes are fine on the causeway but must be parked before the beach.
- Boneyard Beach: Spend an hour among the bleached trees. Erosion and the storms of 2016 and 2017 pushed the shoreline into the old forest, and the beach keeps changing. For photo timing and safety around the trees, see our Driftwood Beach guide.
- The driving tour: On the way out, loop past the Bleak Hall icehouse, the slave cabin chimney and the beehive well. Pick up a map at the kiosk or download SCDNR’s driving tour map.
- Back on 174: Stop at a farm stand on the way home; see Edisto farm stands and roadside markets.
How Botany Bay Differs from the Town Beach
Botany Bay is a state heritage preserve, so its rules are much stricter than the Edisto Beach rules you may be used to:
| Edisto Beach (town) | Botany Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Shells and shark teeth | Take home what you find | Nothing leaves: no shells, fossils, driftwood or artifacts |
| Dogs | Welcome (leashed May–Oct.) | Not on the beach or causeway |
| Swimming | Yes, no lifeguards | Not recommended: stumps and oyster beds |
| Restrooms and trash cans | Available in town | None |
| Drones, metal detectors, alcohol | Town rules apply | None allowed |
| Open | Always | Daylight; closed Tuesdays and hunt days |
Also: no camping or ATVs, and shore fishing, shrimping and crabbing are allowed only on the front beach and in designated areas. Many visitors leave their best shells on the shell-covered trees near the beach entrance. Want shells and shark teeth you can keep? Try shark tooth hunting on Edisto Beach instead.
What You Might See
Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the beach in summer, and least terns nest there too, so stay out of posted areas. Egrets and herons work the marsh beside the causeway, dolphins feed along the shore, deer cross the roads, and alligators sun on the pond banks. Painted buntings show up along the main avenue in spring and summer. Keep your distance from the water’s edge at the ponds, and never feed wildlife.
Botany Bay FAQ
How far is Botany Bay from Edisto Beach?
About 8 miles up Highway 174 to Botany Bay Road, then a few more miles of dirt road to the beach parking. Plan on 20–30 minutes each way.
Is Botany Bay open today?
It’s open daily from 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset, except Tuesdays and scheduled hunt days. Check SCDNR’s calendar or call (843) 844-8957 if you’re visiting between September and January.
Can kids and older visitors manage the walk?
Usually, yes. The causeway is flat and wheelchair accessible, and it’s about a half mile each way. The beach itself has branches and roots in the sand, so wear real shoes, and don’t let anyone climb on the dead trees.
