Huntington Beach State Park

Huntington State Park was one of our highlights on our adventure in Myrtle Beach. If you want any to enjoy a different ecosystem all its own this is it!!! The birds and alligators along with the water and grasses and beautiful skies will leave you loving the natural beauty here in Myrtle Beach. Your $ 5 admission per person is good all day and good also for Myrtle Beach State Park which has a wonderful pier you can rent gear and fish off.

Campsites are roomy and nice. Bathrooms are typical state park level accommodations. Nice access to the beach and makes for a private beach — so few people there! This morning we were one of 5 groups there! ANTS are a problem in the campground. They are everywhere. Have to bring ant spray and spray all camper contact points with the ground or you’ll have a problem. Campground rates are very good. Staff nice. Wi-​Fi is free and is spotty at best — but considering there is almost zero Verizon signal and not much more from AT&T is better than nothing.

Great beach! Have never stated at the campground but I’ve walked around the park a bit and it’s quite nice.

I like that the State Park you have free parking with your pass. I liked that the bathrooms were so close to the beach. The beach is less crowded than others which I like. They also have convenient sand rinsing stations.

This is a beautiful park, with RV slots, requiring more than one year to make a reservation. They have ³⁰⁄₅₀ slots and a dump station. Bicycling, fishing, bird watching, sunbathing and
turtle watching are amongst some activities here. Be warned that there are areas where gators live and cross roadways.
Wifi is available only at the restaurant on premises. There is plenty of nearby shopping to get that jug of milk you have forgotten to pick up, as well as large supermarkets. It is a great place to spend with your loved ones. Dogs are allowed on leashes.
I enjoyed my stay here and look forward to the next.

Stayed at one of the resorts near the area and one of the benefits we got was a pass to visit the Huntington Beach State Park. We were told it was a quiet beach and not as crowded as the beaches in Myrtle Beach and they were so true. The pass is just there to show that you can be at that park (there is no entrance gate with someone checking these passes).
Entrance to the park is off of Rt. 17 (look for a sign directing you to the park), however, once you are off Rt. 17, you are basically on your own as to where to go from there before you even get to the beach. We went down a road off of Rt. 17, crossed over a bridge of water and then had to decide whether to turn right, left or go straight into a parking area. We made a last minute guess and just made a right, which eventually took us by the gift shop area.
In front of the gift shop is a big parking lot and the 2 buildings next to this lot have both restrooms and changing rooms. Walking to the beach is pretty simple (they do have a sign showing a layout of the area — I was not able to check it out, but I saw it at the other end of the parking lot.
It is good to wear beach shoes as there is not a lot of walkway laid out before your feet hits the hot sand. I enjoyed the water and loved that the beach was not crowded at all. In the distance of the waters you can see folks parasailing and jet skiing (not sure where they started from). Also as you go on the beach from your vehicle, there is a flag flying high, so that you can mark where on the beach you have entered from — this is very helpful, if you decided to mark your spot further down on the beach.
There is a side note. If you plan to visit this beach on a very hot day, like we did, it is best to bring your own beach umbrella or tent to protect you from the hot sun rays. I didn’t see anyone renting beach umbrella’s on the beach (confirmed this with a lifeguard), but if you are not prepared, you can always purchase one at the gift shop at a cost of $ 29.99. We will definitely visit this place again… just be a bit more prepared next time and do some more exploring.

I’ve only checked in twice at the time of this review, but I’ve been here 5 or 6 times… I’ll ALWAYS come back. this literally is the best beach I’ve ever been to… as an adult. If you are an 18 – 24 year old… I’m not sure if this is the beach for you; however, it is desolate, clean and amazing with the wildlife… something that quite frankly, I have never associated with a beach. I love this place!

Awesome beach, no restaurants but great quiet and beautiful. Perfect place to look for alligators, but don’t forget your bug spray.

Firstly, I must warn you to take serious amounts of allergy medicine. If you are prone to allergens, just go ham on that medicine. I cannot believe how puffy my eyes are and how sore my throat is after an afternoon roaming this park. The pollen is no joke here (or in this state…)! But I’m not a doctor, so do what you want.
Besides that, the park is beautiful! There are trails, a beach, boardwalks out into the marsh or lakes, and a castle tour. We did not even see half of it, but I know there’s camping and bike trails, too. If you need a day of nature, this is the way to go.

You need to see this place, you really do!
Go early, as they open at 6am and tend to close earlier (around dusk) too.
It’s worth the small fee to get in, trust me. What can I say? They have alligators and beautiful birds! You can camp here too. They have decent restrooms, a changing room, and showers for beach-​goers. Complimentary wi-​fi at the campground and visitor center too. It’s also dog friendly, and they offer affordable guided tours.
Oh, and the beach? — Wow! It’s beautiful here. I’ll definitely come back. Just wish I had learned about it sooner.

Wir lieben States Parks in den Staaten. Denn meist liegen sie abgelegen in ursprünglicher Natur. Einige wenige sind anders gestaltet. So wie dieser, der eher einer Parkanlage ähnelt als einem naturbelassenen Fleckchen Erde.
Das liegt sicherlich an der super Strandlage. So ist im Zentrum des Parks ein riesiger Parkplatz angelegt, der überwiegend von Strandbesuchern frequentiert wird. Verständlich, findet man doch einen weiten, breiten, feinsandigen Strand vor.
Von hier aus führt eine kleine Straße zum Campground des Parkes. An einem weiten Loop liegen die großzügig bemessenen Sites. Und großzügig heißt hier wirklich viel, viel Platz pro Stellplatz. Ausgestattet natürlich wie immer mit allem: Wasser– und Stromanschluss, Bank und Tisch, Feuerstelle. Die Restrooms liegen im Zentrum des Loops und sind normal gepflegt, also nichts Besonderes.
Vom Campground führt ein schmaler Trampelpfad direkt zum Strand. Weitere Trails führen durch den etwas unberührteren Teil des States Parks u.a. zum Brackwasser-​See. Diverse Stege führen auf den See, der ein beliebtes Ziel von Ornithologen ist. Mit Fernglas bewaffnet lassen sich eine Vielzahl an Vogelarten beobachten. Und wer mit dem Blick über die Wasseroberfläche streift, kann mit Glück auch einen Alligator erblicken.
Es lässt sich gut gehen auf diesem Campground: Mit den großen Stellplätzen, die viel privacy erlauben, dem Strand zum Erholen, Sonnen– und Meerbaden und für lange Strandspaziergänge und schlussendlich das Erforschen von Flora und Fauna.
Check-​In für den Campground ist im Ranger– und Infogebäude beim großen Parkplatz. Hier kann man auch alles Nötige einkaufen, inkl. Brennholz für die Feuerstelle.

Costs $$ to get in, dog friendly, open to the public and tends to get crowded. Does not take long to check out the nature center on the marsh side plus they have bathrooms.
If you get lucky you see some crocs. Apparently if you keep going past the nature center their is a slip of rocks in the channel entry that you can check out. I have only seen it by boat, but will check out on foot next time I am there.

The entrance fee to the park is $ 5 a head I believe. The ranger at the front was exceptionally helpful in pointing out some attractions for us since it was the first time we had went, but he didn’t provide us with a map (maybe because there wasn’t one?).
We stopped at the marsh walk first. It was sooo cold and windy… just our luck though. There weren’t any animals out milling around, but the view was very nice. I bet on a day that’s hot with still air that place stinks like swamp.
We wandered over to the hiking trail and went a lot further than we should’ve — it was just warm in the trees! There were occasional stops that had little decks for viewing be marsh along the trail. The mangrove trees growing inside the forested area were beautiful as well. It’s about a mile, give or take some, to walk to whole trail. We walked back along the road and then drove to the Atalaya Castle.
The gift shop there is also clean and the rangers inside there were so helpful and kind. They definitely knew good customer service! Absolutely worth a revisit and a stop if you’re staying in Myrtle Beach, Pawley’s Island or Murrell Inlet!

The best nature photography learning classroom in the area — and not as crowded as most. You’ll want your longest telephoto + tripod as well as your widest landscaper here.
A 300 mm will just barely get you into some great birding possibilities.
Mid day sun is going to be bright and hot — step into the brush to cool down and there’s more to shoot in there.
Don’t forget to stay long enough to get a sunset over the marsh from the causeway.