Camping in Skidaway Island State Park: Minutes from Savannah!

Skidaway Island State Park is located just outside of Savannah, Georgia and offers an easy 20 minute drive into this historic city.  This state park is tucked away from any city noise and offers some peace and quiet if you need a little getaway.  

My husband and I camped here for 2 weeks and quite enjoyed our stay.  There are 87 campsites perfect for RVs, Campers or Tents and they also have a few Yurts and a few Cabins for those of you who don’t want to fully embrace nature.  

Between the clean bathrooms, quiet environment and well-spaced campsites, you won’t want to miss camping in Skidaway Island State Park!

Important Links

–Skidaway Island State Park website

–State Park Trail Map

–Skidaway Island Camping – Make Reservations Here

–Campground Map

–Hiking in Skidaway Island State Park

Location

Skidaway Island State Park is located 20 minutes east of the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia, 2.5 hours south of Charleson, South Carolina, and just over 2 hours north of Jackonville, Florida.  

As you leave the mainland and drive across the bridge to Skidaway Island, you’ll be greeted with the smell of marsh and salt air.  The island is beautiful with Spanish Moss for miles, and overall the island ispretty low-key with easy driving as well as boat ramp access just outside the park.  

Be warned, although Skidaway Island is indeed an island, there is no beach.  You are surrounded by rivers and the bay.  The nearest beach access is a 40 minute drive up to Tybee Island.  In fact, when we were just about to book our campsite at Skidaway Island State Park, there was a warning that popped up on our screen and in big bold letters it tells you that there is no beach on Skidaway.  

Time to Spend Here

Skidaway Island State Park is great for a weekend trip, or multiple days spent relaxing and walking the easy trails in the park.  Here are two recommendations for either a weekend away or a week-long stay.  Feel free to follow or ignore my suggestions.

Weekend Recommendation

Friday:Check in and get camp set up in time for an evening spent around the fire.  Relax and enjoy the shade of the large Oak trees around your campsite. 

Saturday: Wake up and choose one (Or more) of the following things to do with your day

• 1 – Explore Savannah: There are over a dozen museums to choose from, hundreds of restaurants and many free parks and sections of the city to explore.  Pick a couple things and see the area.
• 2 – Drive a quick 10 minutes away and tour Wormsloe State Historic Site with their iconic Oak Trees and Spanish Moss.  
• 3 – Drive up to Tybee Island and spend a day on the beach.  Don’t miss climbing the Tybee Island Lighthouse for a 360 degree view of the island.  
• 4 – Relax around the state park.  There are over 6 miles of trails for walking/biking, 2 playgrounds for the kiddos and plenty of wildlife to view around the park for a cheap and relaxing weekend away.

Sunday: Pack-up, check out and maybe do one of the things mentioned above before heading home.  

Week-Long Recommendation

If you are looking for a way to stay near Savannah without breaking the bank, you have to consider camping or staying at Skidaway Island State Park.  You can drive into Savannah several times throughout the week without having to be price gouged by the centrally-located hotels.  

Or you can spend a week going fishing/boating from the nearby boat ramp if that’s what interests you.  

There are also several great beaches nearby for a great beach day, including Tybee Island and Hilton Head Island.  

Regardless, there are plenty of things to do and see near Skidaway Island State Park and many ways to spend a week in the area.  

Our Adventures (Prices included!)

In the spring of 2024, my husband and I and our pupper camped at Skidaway Island State Park for 2 full weeks!  While we were camping there, here are a few things that we did, so you can get an idea of what’s in the area.

• Visited Wormsloe State Historic Site ($12 per person)
• Walked through the Prohibition Museum in Savannah ($17 per person)
• Climbed to the top of Tybee Island Lighthouse ($12 per person)
• Spend a day on Tybee Island enjoying the Beach ($2 per hour for parking)
• Walked River Street (Free)
• Walked around Forsyth Park (Free)
• Walked around the Historic District of Savannah (Free)
• Walked through the Cathedral of John the Baptist ($3 donation suggested)
• Spent a day on Hilton Head Island (Free Parking at Coligny Beach Park!)
• Walked the trails in the state park and went bird watching (Free)

There are many other attractions and free things to do in Savannah, but we chose to do the things on the list above over the course of 2 weeks.  Most evenings were spent walking the trails and relaxing around the campsite while we jam-packed our weekend with adventures.  

Hiking in Skidaway Island – LINK TO HIKE POST

Skidaway Island State Park isn’t known for its hiking, but there are some really neat trails throughout the park.  We were able to hike all of them throughout our stay, but here are the highlights!

• Avian Loop (2.0 miles) – The Avian Loop was a quick little loop, but you have to walk part of the Sandpiper trail or the Connector Trail to access it.  There is a great place to see little Fiddler Crabs, which was pretty cool.  
• Big Ferry Trail (2.4 miles) – This trail was the longest and had the most history!  Back in the 1920’s and 30’s many moonshiners had stills back here and you can still see a few along the trail.  There is also an awesome look out tower on this loop perfect for watching the sunset.  
• Connector Trail (0.6 miles) – This trail connects the Big Ferry Trail to the Avian Loop and the Sandpiper Trail Loop as well.  Along the trail you will find the group campsites that may or may not be in use.  
• Sandpiper Trail Loop (1.6 miles) – This trail begins right behind the Visitor’s Center and is a mixture of a trail and boardwalks.  We saw so many birds on this trail, including the stunning Painted Bunting!

For more details about hiking in Skidaway Island State Park, check out this post for more information!

Skidaway Island Campground

At Skidaway Island State Park, there are several ways to stay.  You can rough it at a group campsite, you can stay in a tent/camper/RV at a campsite in the campground, you can glamp in a Yurt or stay in an air conditioned camper cabin.  

With all of these options, there’s something for everyone!  Whether you’re the toughest guy around and want to rough it at the Pioneer Campgrounds with 9 – 29 other people, or you want to stay in a Tent/Camper at a campsite with electric and water hookups, or you want to stay in a yurt or cabin, Skidaway Island State Park has something for you!

Details

• 87 Tent/Camper/RV Sites
• 3 Camper Cabins
• 3 Yurts
• 2 Playgrounds
• 4 bath houses with bathrooms and showers
• 1 Visitor’s Center
• 3 Pioneer Campgrounds (group camping for 10+ people)

Let’s dive a little deeper into the ways you can stay at Skidaway Island State Park

Tent/Camper/RV Sites (Dog Friendly)

This is the most common way that you can stay in Skidaway Island.  With 87 total campsites spaced out throughout 4 loops, you will be sure to have the space you want when camping.  

All of the 87 sites have electric hook up and water hook up, while 27 of these sites are Full Hook Up.  Most of the sites are either pull-through or what they call a U-Shaped campsite for easy entrance and exits alike.  

Within each loop, there is a bathhouse with showers and bathrooms.  They were kept very clean while we were there and it was easy to walk to these bathhouses at any time of day.  

The only thing that we didn’t like was the narrow roads that made up the campground loops.  They were narrow, roots were pushing the machadem up, and they weren’t one way.  These roads were just wide enough for our truck/camper but if a big rig was coming towards us in the opposite direction, we would have had to figure out how to pass each other.  Thankfully this didn’t happen when we were here!

Yurt Sites (1 Yurt is Dog Friendly)

Skidaway Island also offers Yurts as a way to go camping, but still have a few comforts of home.  These Yurts are similar to tents, where you do still have to use the bathhouse to use the bathroom as well as shower, but you will have a bed, an indoor table and the ability to turn on the AC or the heat.  

These 3 Yurts are located at the back of the campground and are a very close walk to a bathhouse.  They can accommodate up to 4 people and there is a small parking lot right near the bathhouse for you to park.  They each have a back deck, a picnic table, and a fire ring so you can still enjoy the rustic side of camping.  Only Yurt #1 is dog friendly.  

Camper Cabins (1 Cabin is Dog Friendly)

Skidaway Island offers 3 Camper Cabins.  They each have a Queen bed and 2 Twin beds up in a loft, so the perfect getaway for a family of 4.  Each cabin has a bathroom with a shower, a kitchen, a small indoor sitting area, and a screened in back porch (yay for no bugs!).    

Each Camper Cabin has central air/heat so you can stay here even in extreme temperatures.  Only Camper Cabin B is Dog Friendly, so book early if you are bringing Fido.  

Pioneer Campground

And the final way to stay at Skidaway Island State Park is by booking a Pioneer Campground.  This is only for groups of 10 to 30 people, with an adult leader.  Pioneer Campgrounds are available for booking ONLY by calling.  Typical groups to book this kind of campground are boy scouts, girls scouts, church groups or civic groups.  

Each campground has a Privy pit-style toilet, but there are no showers here.  So be prepared to rough it.  There is also anywhere from a 0.5 mile to 1 mile hike to the campground, which means you will be carrying all of your gear in and out.  

Price Comparison

Now with all of these ways to stay, you might be wondering what the price difference is.  **DISCLAIMER: These were the prices when I checked in May of 2024.  Prices can change and vary depending on holiday or weekend.**

These prices are just to give you an idea of what you might be able to afford when you stay here.  My husband and I went with the cheapest option and booked the Electric/Water Campsite in order to experience the area, but not break the bank.  

Campsite (Electric and Water)

• 1 Day: $46 per night
• 1 Week: $322 per week

Campsite (Full Hook Up)

• 1 Day: $54 per night
• 1 Week: $378 per week

Yurt

• 1 Day: $125 per night
• 1 Week: $875 per week

Camper Cabin

• 1 Day: $165 per night
• 1 Week: $1,155 per week

Now that you know the prices, I can tell you about our experience at Skidaway Island State Park!

Our Camping Experience

My husband and I stayed at site #77 for 2 full weeks.  We enjoyed the U-shaped site because it felt like we had a yard all to ourselves.  With the spots well-spaced apart and the centrally located bathhouse, we quite enjoyed camping at Skidaway Island.  

The bathhouses were also quite clean, albeit nothing fancy.  With such close proximity to the trails, we were able to go for walks each day and with such a close drive to Savannah, we were able to explore the city without a long commute.  

As far as state parks go, Georgia always does a very nice job of taking care of their campers with clean campsites and working bathrooms and showers.  We were also able to work from our campsite off of our Verizon hotspot, but AT&T service was a little spotty.  

Overall, we very much enjoyed camping at Skidaway Island State Park and we would both go back here and would recommend this park to anyone!

Conclusion

Skidaway Island State Park is located just 20 minutes outside of Savannah, Georgia and is the perfect weekend getaway.  With quiet sites and even cabin/yurt options, you can’t go wrong with a weekend or week spent camping here.  

There are 87 campsites with 4 bathhouses, over 6 miles of hiking and biking trails, and with such a short drive from Savannah, you’ll be sure to be entertained while camping here.  

As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com for any camping questions or help with planning your stay!

Happy Camping!