Skidaway Island State Park

Skidaway Island State Park is located about a 20-minute drive (15 miles) from downtown Savannah Georgia.

Located near historic Savannah, Skidaway Island State Park borders Skidaway narrows, a part of Georgia’s Intracoastal Waterway.

Site Review:

We treated Skidaway as a “lodging only” campground. We were primarily interested in visiting the surrounding area.

There are 87 campsites ranging in price from $26USD- $50 USD a night. RV sites with full hook-ups are available. Many sites are pull-thru.

The campground is situated amongst  Live Oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. It is very picturesque. The sites are large, level and offer good spacing between you and your neighbour.

Visit the Skidaway Island website to confirm availabilty and to make your reservations. Then when you arrive at Skidaway Island State Park you enter the main building to check-in. If it is after hours your reservation permit will be taped to the front door. Retrieve your permit and then head to your site. It is not always necessary to make reservations but you would be advised to do so.

We had site #43.There is a trailer sanitation dump station if you should have a site with no sewer connection. It was easy to navigate even for the larger rigs.

Activities:

There are about 7 miles of hiking trails- some of which are multi-use (hiking as well as biking). The trails take you through a maritime forest, or over salt marshes and tidal creeks. There is a nice observation structure that affords a view of the inter-coastal waterway. The trails were neither long nor challenging. I wouldn’t classify them as hiking trails, but rather paths that you can walk. 

There is a small interpretive centre located in the main building where you check in.Here you will also find a giant ground sloth exhibit.There is also a small gift shop in the main building.Some bird feeders have been placed to attract birds for bird watching located just behind the building- and that is pretty much it. There is no on-site swimming or any place where you can launch a boat. No place to fish or kayak. You can ride your bike on the camp roads and on a couple of the paths. 

There is a playground for the kids.and some outdoor fitness equipment for those a little older.

Tybee Island Beach

This is a beach town on the outskirts of Savannah. It is about 30 miles from Skidaway Island State Park. 

Activities in the Tybee Island Beach area include; Dolphin tours, lighthouses, the Pulaski National Monument, a beautiful pier and miles of sandy beach.

This is basically Savannah’s beach, and it can get quite busy. 

Savannah:

A day in Savannah is a must if staying at Skidaway Island State Park. Downtown Savannah is about 20 minutes away and is well worth the trip to take in the sights.

We went on a trolley tour which was both informative and entertaining.  A tour, like a trolley tour, is a good way to get your bearings and highlight points of interest you would like to investigate further. 

Jekyll Island:

When we visited Skidaway Island State Park, one of the day trips we had planned was a trip to Jekyll Island. We had heard about the driftwood beach; the sea turtle rescue centre;and the excellent biking;Jekyll Island is about a 90-minute drive from Skidaway. It was a bit far I guess, but the place did not disappoint. In fact, we booked a site at the Jekyll Island Campground for a future trip. ( for a full review and camp details see Jekyll Island Campground).

Things to know:

1. Skidaway Island State Park is close to Savannah and is an ideal “lodging only” campground if looking to stay in the area and enjoy the city.
2. Despite boasting its proximity to the inter-coastal waterway- there are no water-related activities at Skidaway Island State Park. You will have to travel 30 miles to Tybee Island Beach if you are interested in swimming. If you had a boat to launch you would also have to go elsewhere.
3.  The park is well-maintained and pets are allowed.

IMO:

I have read a variety of reviews regarding Skidaway Island State Park- the vast majority of them favourable. Words like “beautiful”, “impressive”, and “unbelievable” are used to describe it. Clearly, I was not as blown away as many others apparently were.

I liked the size of the sites and the space offered. And I always like when  full hookups are available. I, however, was underwhelmed by the park itself.  If your interests lie in the vicinity surrounding the park and you treat it as a “lodging only” campground, then it was completely adequate. If you are making Skidaway Island State Park your destination then I fear you will be disappointed, because basically there is nothing to do there.