Myrtle Beach State Park is a 312 acre state park located in

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its y ...

on land donated by Myrtle Beach Farms in 1934. The park was the first South Carolina State Park to open in 1936. It was developed by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

, a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

Program created by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. The program was designed to provide employment during the Great Depression while addressing national needs in conservation and recreation. The CCC was instrumental in the development of many of South Carolina’s state parks. A number of buildings built by the CCC in the 1930s are still in use there. The park includes one mile of undeveloped beach in Horry County. The park's maritime forest has been declared a Heritage Trust Site. The maritime forest includes

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. ...

s and

southern magnolia ''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...

s. Other unique features include

sea oats ''Uniola paniculata'', also known as sea oats, seaside oats, araña, and arroz de costa, is a tall subtropical grass that is an important component of coastal sand dune and beach plant communities in the southeastern United States, eastern Me ...

located on the dunes and an expansive sand dunes system along the beach. The Myrtle Beach State Park Nature Center features interactive natural history displays, saltwater aquariums and live animals. Programs about coastal habitat and native wildlife are offered throughout the year. The park also has two nature trails: the

Yaupon ''Ilex vomitoria'', commonly known as yaupon () or yaupon holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America. The word ''yaupon'' was derived from the Catawban ''yą́pą'', from ''yą-'' tree + ''pą'' leaf. Another commo ...

Nature Trail and the Sculptured Oak Nature Trail. Myrtle Beach State park is open from 6 am to 8 pm with extended hours from March to November. A fee is charged for admission to the park. South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism offers annual Passports that can significantly decrease admission fees based upon usage. Camping The campground has 140 standard sites with individual water and electrical hookups and an additional 138 sites with full hookup. All sites are convenient to hot showers, restrooms and laundromat facilities. All sites also have complimentary wi-fi access. The main campground is located approximately 300 yards from the beach. The overflow campground is for tents only, does not provide electricity and has central water. The 30-site overflow campground is open Easter weekend through Labor Day. The Ranger Station (store/registration located at the campground entrance) includes limited grocery items, camping supplies, souvenirs, drinks, snacks, and firewood. Six cabins, located 200 yards from the beach, are completely furnished, heated, air-conditioned, and supplied with bath and bed linens, basic cooking and eating utensils and TV. Prices vary throughout the year. The Pier Myrtle Beach-2011-08-08-017 (6061267989)

Myrtle Beach-2011-08-08-017 (6061267989)

The park has a fishing pier that stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean for prime fishing. A South Carolina fishing license is not required to fish from the pier; however, you do have to pay for daily fishing. An annual pass for the calendar year is available. Fishing for sharks is prohibited from the fishing pier. Surf fishing is allowed; however, it is not allowed on the beach where lifeguards are on duty and a South Carolina saltwater fishing license is required. Typical fish caught include

flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, thou ...

king mackerel The king mackerel (''Scomberomorus cavalla'') or kingfish, is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries. Description T ...

, sheepshead, whiting,

spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot (produ ...

spanish mackerel Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This fish closely resembles the King Mackerel. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – ...

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

and

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

Myrtle Beach-2011-08-08-013 (6061266459)

The Beach

Horry County Horry County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 351,029. It is the fourth-most populous county in South Carolina. The county seat is Conway. Horry County is the central ...

lifeguards are stationed on the north section of Myrtle Beach State Park from mid-May through mid-September. Umbrellas and beach chairs are available to rent from the lifeguards. The beach at Myrtle Beach State Park falls within the jurisdiction of Horry County, and therefore abides by Horry County Ordinances and Regulations. Horry County also has ordinances that prohibit pets and bicycles on public beaches from May 1 through Labor Day between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. Equestrian Trails Beach access is available beginning the third Saturday in November and continues through the last day of February for horseback riding. A permit is required for each horse that enters the park. Horses are not allowed in the park overnight. Riders must have current Negative Coggins papers for each horse brought into the park (per SC Code of Laws, Act 13, 1976, Sec 1, Chapter 13, Title 47).

References

External links

Myrtle Beach State Park Official Site

Myrtle Beach State Park Nature Center

More information about Myrtle Beach State Park
{{authority control Tourist attractions in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina State parks of South Carolina Protected areas of Horry County, South Carolina Nature centers in South Carolina Civilian Conservation Corps in South Carolina Education in Horry County, South Carolina