Living in a super busy, tourist driven, beach front town is indeed nothing short of an adventure. I’ve lived in Myrtle Beach for a total of 13 non-consecutive years. As a local, I’ve learned what places to avoid during what times of year, and where to take refuge from the chaos and traffic of peak visitor season. Frankly, I’m shocked that it took our family nearly ten years to discover the not-so-hidden gem that is Myrtle Beach State Park.

But now that we have, it is one of our favorite places in town. You can tell solely by the amount of sand in my poor car, despite how frequently we vacuum. But I digress…

Located immediately South of Ocean Boulevard, Myrtle Beach State Park (MBSP) features approximately 312 acres of maritime forest and one full mile of undeveloped coastline…a rarity here in Horry County. Within the confines of the park, you can quickly forget that you are in a busy tourist driven city – unless you head to the beach and look far left or right to see the hotels in the distance. Otherwise, this little slice of paradise will give you a true glimpse of what the coastline looked like before it was filled to the brim with hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and souvenir shops.

A Local’s Guide to Myrtle Beach State Park

Here are my favorite things about Myrtle Beach State Park (which, fun fact, was the FIRST established South Carolina State Park, back in 1936), as well as a few tips & tricks I’ve picked up on my countless visits to the park.

The Beach

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way, shall we? The beach is truly one of the highlights of the Myrtle Beach area in general, and here’s why it’s even better at the State Park:

Smaller Crowds

The beach front at Myrtle Beach State Park is far less crowded than the public beaches just North on Ocean Boulevard in downtown Myrtle Beach itself. To be totally transparent, I’m saying “less” crowded. But it’s most definitely not “uncrowded” during the peak months. In the summer, the state park can still be pretty packed. That said, there is certainly more beach surface area compared to the number of park visitors, making it still very enjoyable.

Local Tip: the main parking lot at the pier and immediately North, in front of the picnic shelters, fills up first. As does the shoreline in these areas. Head South past the pier to lesser crowded parking and beaches, or go North to the Camper Check In parking lot, and access the beach via the Campground Beach Access.

Restrooms

Most of the beaches in Myrtle Beach city limits do NOT have public restroom facilities, not even port-a-potties, located near the beach accesses. If you’re lucky, there’s a hotel that will let you into their lobby restroom (if you aren’t staying there already), but even then, it can be quite the hike to get there.

Trust me when I tell you, this is one of those things you don’t realize you need…until you don’t have one available to you (and you have a 4 year old who is suddenly screaming about how bad they need a bathroom, RIGHT NOW).

Myrtle Beach State Park, on the other hand, has 5 large, well kept bathroom buildings spread through the parking lots (and that’s NOT including the facilities available in the campgrounds).

The Pier

There are ten public piers in the Grand Strand area. However, as of publishing (2020) many of them are under construction. A number of hurricanes over the last few years have damaged and practically destroyed a handful of these piers, and they are being repaired, slowly but surely. The Pier at Myrtle Beach State Park is also currently under construction, thought the store and restrooms on the pier are still open.

Educational Opportunities

Myrtle Beach State Park features a Nature Center, Activity Center, and a number of ongoing educational programs, both guided and self led.

Our family absolutely adores the Nature Center at Myrtle Beach State Park. It’s an awesome place to escape the sun and sand, if you or your kids need a bit of a break. In the center you’ll find a handful of tanks with live animals in them, as well as other “hands on” educational opportunities.

The guided programs provide an opportunity for kids and adults alike to learn about the habitat and wildlife of the coastal area. In addition to programs in the Nature Center, there are a number of hands on programs that take place throughout the park as well.

Patch Program

Myrtle Beach State Park offers a patch program, exclusive to this park. It’s open to everyone, regardless of age, and has some pretty cool incentives in addition to gaining knowledge:

• If you attend three park programs , you can earn one of 9 patches.
• If you attend 9 programs, you become a Habitat Hero, receive a special pin, and your photo on the Habitat Hero Wall of Fame.

Check the MBSP website for updated program listings, or, ask either at the main office or front gate for a calendar of that month’s programs.

Hiking Trails

I love the beach, but the trails are my happy place. Not much in life makes me happier than strolling (or running) down a dirt path, with the sunshine peeking through the massive tree canopy.

The trail system at Myrtle Beach State Park is very small, but none the less, very beautiful. Piecing the Yaupon and Sculpted Oak trails together will only give you a mile. But, turning them both into out-and-backs, and adding in some ocean front running will up your total mileage for a gorgeous, shorter distance hike or run.

Further, dispersed throughout the trail are informational signs about various flora and fauna you might be seeing. Exercise and education!

Be sure to follow the Sculptured Oak Trail to the boardwalk over the pond, where you may see some frogs, turtles, birds, or snakes.

Camping

I sleep better in a tent than I do in a house. And while there are a number of crowded RV “campgrounds” here in Myrtle Beach, MBSP is one of the few places where you can truly feel like you are camping.

Of course, if RV’s are your thing, the main campground at Myrtle Beach State Park features 278 campsites, 138 of which have full-hookups of water, electricity and sewer. There are also 6 heated and air conditioned cabins, if you prefer “glamping”. The campground features a full camp store and a laundromat (and even wi-fi), so this is far from a back-country escape.

Lastly, there are 30 designated tent sites, though these are seasonal. Personally, I love the seasonal “overflow” tent section best, as it feels much more primitive than the somewhat cramped sites in the main campground. No electricity, no hook ups, plenty of trees to hang up your hammock.

Local Tip: if you, too, love the more secluded, primitive feel, I recommend Overflow Campsite 269. Some of the overflow section is close to the road, but this site is tucked back a bit, with plenty of room for a large tent or multiple small tents.

Local Tip (another one): you will see signs everywhere warning you about wearing close-toed shoes due to venomous copperhead snakes. HEED THE WARNING. At the campsite you see above, we watched a large copperhead slither right across our campsite, midday. They are clearly not afraid of human activity, and can end your vacation quickly if accidentally stepped on.

Picnic

There are 7 picnic shelters located at Myrtle Beach State Park. But they can be reserved, and during the busy months, they are almost ALWAYS reserved. Weddings, family reunions, birthday parties…you name it. They are almost always occupied. It gets a little hectic around these sites. But, your picnic aspirations need not be dashed…

Local tip: head for one of the more secluded, individual picnic tables, located in the recreation area (East of the Nature center), near the playground, or on the South end parking lots.

Know Before You Go:

• The address to type into your GPS is:
  4401 South Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29575

• Admission Fees to the park, as of January 2020, are:
  $8 adults;
  $5 for SC seniors (age 65 & older);
  $4 children ages 6-15;
  Free for children 5 and younger.
  OR, free with the “ALL Park” Passport

• Park Hours:
  Daily 6am-10pm, March-Nov.
  Daily 6am-8pm, Dec.-Feb.

Local Tip: The line to get into the park during the summer and peak weekends can be absolutely insane. Once, while camping during Father’s Day weekend, we made the grave mistake of leaving the park to grab lunch. It took us 45 minutes to get back into the park from the main road. So, arrive EARLY, and plan on staying until you are ready to leave.

Have you been to Myrtle Beach State Park? Have any tips or tricks to add? Comment below!