The Holden Beach fishing pier at dawn, with pink and gold sky reflected in the wet sand. The pier is now closed.
Holden Beach · Brunswick County · North Carolina

Holden Beach, made easy.

Today's weather, water and tides. All 26 public beach accesses on a top-down map, with the beach mats, parking lots and restrooms. And the rules and parking prices, straight from the Town.

Open the beach access map → Beach mats & wheelchair access
26public beach accesses
6accesses with a beach mat
$5an hour or $20 a day to park, 9 to 5
0lifeguards: swim with care

Photo: the pier at dawn (the pier has been closed since 2022). Sergey Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · credits

Today on Holden Beach

Right now
72°
Loading forecast…
Water temp
75°
Ocean water
Rip current risk
Check today ↗
It changes day to day. Get today's risk from the National Weather Service surf zone forecast: look for Coastal Brunswick.
Tide
Rising
Loading tides…
Sunset
7:00
 
Lifeguards
None on duty
The Town says there are no lifeguards. What to do in a rip current ↓

Live from the National Weather Service and NOAA. If a box says unavailable, check the official source.

Tides (nearest NOAA station)

Loading the next high and low…

NOAA station 8659182 at Yaupon Beach, about 10 miles east across Lockwood Folly Inlet. Holden Beach times are close to these; predicted times, Eastern.

5-day outlook

National Weather Service, Wilmington NC · water temp: NOAA Wrightsville Beach sensor
Top-down beach map

Every access, from the west end to the east end.

Satellite view of all 26 public beach accesses on the Town's map, plus the parks, the Pavilion, the pier lot and the porta-johns. Pick a section to zoom in, then tap any pin for parking, restrooms and directions.

Full-screen map →
Holden Beach from above
Beach accessWheelchair-friendlyPark / PavilionExtra lot / porta-john
Beach access for everyone

Beach mats and wheelchair-friendly entries.

Brunswick County lists 6 Holden Beach accesses with a beach mat, a firm roll-out path over the soft sand. 3 accesses have a wheelchair-accessible entry, and the Quinton St access has a 5-space handicap lot with restrooms.

6accesses with a beach mat
3wheelchair-accessible entries
Freehandicap plate or hangtag in a handicap space
5handicap spaces at Quinton St (114 Ocean Blvd E)
See every mat and ramp →

Plan a wheelchair beach day

  1. Pick a mat access. PW200 by Jordan Blvd and PW180 at Quinton St have both a mat and a wheelchair-accessible entry.
  2. Park free with a handicap plate or hangtag in a marked handicap space. Any other space needs a paid permit, 9 to 5.
  3. Call ahead in rough weather. Mats may be taken up before storms and king tides.

From Brunswick County tourism (ncbrunswick.com/plan/accessibility) and the Town's paid-parking page. We found no Town loaner beach wheelchair program.

Coming up on the island

What's on soon.

All events →
Explore

More than the beach.

A calm canal behind Holden Beach homes, with docks and a wooden walkway

Parks, the splash pad & the water

Bridgeview Park's splash pad and playground, the Pavilion and Block Q stage, fishing charters and paddle rentals.
A lit-up waterfront restaurant and the Holden Beach water tower at dusk

Eat & shop

Restaurants and ice cream on the island and the causeway, plus groceries and pharmacies in Supply and Shallotte.
Wooden steps over the dune to the beach at Holden Beach

Rules & paid parking

Dog hours, gear pickup times and parking prices, from the Town's own pages.
The Holden Beach bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway at sunset

Where to stay

Vacation rental companies with offices on Holden Beach, and the Town's small campground.
Beach safety

No lifeguards. Know the rip.

The Town of Holden Beach says plainly: there are no lifeguards. Rip current risk changes day to day, so check the National Weather Service beach forecast before you go in, and never swim alone.

🌐 En español: seguridad en la playa →

📞
Emergency: 911Police non-emergency: 910-842-6707
🐢
Sea turtle nests, May 1 to Oct 31Leave marked nests alone. Report a turtle: Holden Beach Turtle Watch, 910-754-0766
🏄
Jet skis stay 500 ft from shore, never onto the beachNo surfboards within 500 ft of a fishing pier.

Caught in a rip current?

  1. Don't fight it. Rips pull you away from shore. Stay calm and save your energy.
  2. Swim parallel to the shoreline until you're out of the pull, then angle back in.
  3. Float and wave if you can't swim out. Yell for help.
  4. Helping someone? Call 911 and throw something that floats. Don't swim in after them.