In the distance, I could see high rise hotels stretching asfar as the horizon. Thousands of people clamored for a small patch of sandwhile hundreds more bobbed in the waves. The Grand Strand is one of the mostpopular beach destinations in the country and tends to get overcrowded. But notthe one mile stretch of undeveloped maritime forest at Myrtle Beach State Park.
I think Myrtle Beach State Park is the best hidden naturalgem along the Grand Strand. The pristine maritime forest is located betweenluxury hotels and RV resorts and is almost hidden from notice. A small sign onKings Highway marks the entrance, but if you’re not looking for it, you’ll missit.
I’ve enjoyed countless adventures and gorgeous evenings in this state park. It’s one of my favorites along the South Carolina coast. After many years of visiting, I decided to write this travel guide to help you discover Myrtle Beach State Park.
READ MORE: Why You Need to Visit the Six Coastal State Parks of South Carolina
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Myrtle Beach State Park
Myrtle Beach features almost five miles of oceanfront hotelsalong the pristine beaches of the Grand Strand. At the southern end of thatlong chain is a one mile stretch of undeveloped maritime forest protected byMyrtle Beach State Park.
The 312-acre oceanfront state park opened in 1936, the firstof the South Carolina state parks system. Built by the Civilian ConservationCorps, the park has one of the largest campgrounds of any state park in thestate and one of the most popular in Myrtle Beach. Along with a fishing pier,oceanfront picnic shelters, and public beach accesses, this park is one of thebest in the state.
The Ultimate Outsider stamp is located at theadmission booth, park office, ranger station, the gift shop at the pier, andthe nature center.
4401 South Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC | 843-238-5325 | southcarolinaparks.com/myrtle-beach
Insider Tip
Summer months, especially on the weekends, are a hectic timefor Myrtle Beach State Park. The park limits the number of vehicles in the parkat a time to prevent a lack of parking spaces and overcrowding. This can leadto long lines and wait times of up to an hour for entrance into the park.
My recommendation is to visit the park early in the morningon weekends or preferably anytime during the week. If you are park guest andwant to explore the area, plan to arrive back at the park in the late eveningto avoid sitting in line.
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The Myrtle Beach State Park fishing pier is one of just nine along the Grand Strand, but it’s one of the most popular because of the seclusion and size.
Fishing Pier
The Myrtle Beach State Park fishing pier is the only fishingpier on the Atlantic Ocean in a South Carolina state park. The wide, woodenpier is a fantastic place to spend a day fishing, watching wildlife, or goingfor a scenic walk.
The fishing pier is located right in the middle of the park.The gift shop is a great place to pick up fishing supplies, ice cream, drinks, andsnacks. The wide pier offers ample room for people fishing and sightseeing toshare the same space.
The end of the pier has a small covered shelter. It’s an excellent place to spend an hour or two watching the wildlife. Occasionally, dolphins will swim past the end of the pier. During the spring and autumn months, it is entirely possible to see migrating whales near the pier.
READ MORE: The 9 Piers Along the Grand Strand From North Myrtle Beach to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
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Public Beach Access
During the summer months, the locals flood Myrtle BeachState Park for access to the public beach. Whenever you decide to visit, theone mile stretch of beach at the state park is guaranteed to be the leastcrowded.
Swimming, of course, is allowed. During the peak tourismseason, Horry County lifeguards are stationed north of the fishing pier. Southof the fishing pier, there are four public beach accesses with parking alongthe sea dunes.
Four restroom facilities are located near the public beachaccesses and an additional facility at the fishing pier gift shop.
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Five of the picnic shelters are located within sight of the ocean, while two others are further back. In lieu of a shelter, there are plenty of picnic tables scattered around the park.
Picnic Shelters
One of the best amenities at Myrtle Beach State Park is themassive covered picnic shelters. Of course, the shelters must be reserved inadvance, and the state park website suggests at least a two-week notice. But ifyou roll into the park two hours before sunset and one of the shelters isunoccupied, it’s perfectly fine to sit back with a book and enjoy a peacefulevening.
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Shelter #1 is probably the most awesome. Built in the 1930sby the CCC, the massive shelter features a wood-burning fireplace at one end,eight picnic tables, and over 1,200 square feet of covered space.
Five of the shelters are located along the beach within sight of the ocean. My favorite is Shelter #B3. It’s located at the end of a parking lot with a wide field beside it, and just a short walk to the beach access.
Although the picnic shelters need to be reserved in advance, long in advance, there are still plenty of options for spontaneous foodie outings. There are several picnic tables, some with grills, scattered throughout the park. And there are a number of tiny shelters just large enough to cover a single picnic table.
READ MORE: 12 Things to Do Out of the Water in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
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The nature trails wind through a coastal maritime forest. This is what the Grand Strand looked like long before it was a grand strand of beach.
Nature Trails
The 0.5-mile Sculptured Oak Trail is a casual walkthrough the maritime forest in the state park. The trail shows what the coastalforest looked like decades ago before Myrtle Beach was established as a tourismdestination. The trail begins at a parking area beside the Nature Center andends near the beach on the park road.
The 0.4-mile Yaupon Trail branches off from theSculptured Oak Trail, winds through the maritime forest, and ends near a picnicshelter further down the park. One of my favorite activities at the state parkis to hike the Sculptured Oak Trail to the road, walk down the road to theYaupon Trail, and hike that trail back to the parking area.
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Horseback Riding
One of the most surprising activities at Myrtle Beach StatePark is horseback riding. However, horses are only allowed on the beach fromthe third Saturday in November until the last day of February each year.
Horseback riding on the beach has become an increasinglypopular winter activity. Visitors will opt to stay at the state park’scampground and go horseback riding north on the beach about ten minutes throughMyrtle Beach.
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Campground
With 278 campsites, the Myrtle Beach State Park campgroundis one of the largest in the South Carolina state park system. Because of thepark’s location in the Grand Strand and beach access, it’s also one of the mostpopular campgrounds in the greater Myrtle Beach area. The campground istypically booked weeks, sometimes even months, in advance, but if you can get aweekend scheduled, it will be a fantastic adventure.
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140 of the campsites include electricity and water hookups, and the remaining 138 sites include full hookups with electricity, water, and sewer. The campsites are built around six loops. Each loop has easy access to shower and restroom facilities and trash collection.
READ MORE: 8 Things to Do at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC
My favorite part of the campground is the dense forest surrounding the campsites. Thick trees provide cooling shade in the summer months, and underbrush offers a natural screen from your neighbors. The beach is no more than a ten-minute walk, perfect for quick outings in between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If you need supplies for your camping adventure, you have some options. The camp store in the state park has limited supplies, mostly canned goods and snack foods. If you need more food for complete meals, the Food Lion is across Kings Highway from the state park. A paved path winds through the forest from the campground to a traffic light with a pedestrian crossing. It’s quite safe and the only time you’d ever walk across four lanes of traffic without getting splatted.
Favorite Campsite at Myrtle Beach State Park
I don’t have a single favorite campsite, but rather a favorite area in the campground. The beginning of Circle 5 has some of the quietest, most secluded campsites. Even-numbered campsites from #176-198 don’t have any more campsites behind their sites, they’re only a few minutes from the beach, and they are far enough from Kings Highway to mostly avoid the traffic noise.
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National Park Week 2024
Learn about the annual celebration of the National Park System and read my travel guides to national park units across the country.
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Cabins
One of the most sought-after amenities at Myrtle Beach State Park is the \ cabins. The six cabins are fully furnished, feature air conditioning, and come with linens and cooking equipment. Just a few hundred feet from the beach, the cabins are a great place to spend a few nights where you can fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the beach.
Four of the cabins feature two bedrooms, one cabin has three bedrooms, and the final cabin has four bedrooms and is located in the campground. Each cabin has a small living area with old but comfortable furniture, a fully equipped kitchen for cooking meals, and a screened-in porch.
