Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC is Full of Adventure

Have you frequented Huntington Seashore State Park? If you are wanting for an all-in-a single tenting knowledge that consists of the seaside, an abundance of wildlife, a castle, a character middle, and alternatives for studying and journey, Huntington Seashore State Park in Murrells Inlet is the spot. I spent an incredible couple days there and was scheduling to return even just before I remaining. 

The Campground at Huntington Beach front Condition Park

Huntington Beach front Condition Park is aptly named considering that, perfectly, it is on the beach front. There are two campsites, the north and the south. We stayed in the north campground and it took us all of five minutes to walk to the huge open up sandy beach. 

The north campground has both RV websites and tent sites in addition primitive tent internet sites. You can park correct at the web site in any of them besides the primitive kinds, which are a brief length away from your car or truck. 

The campground is a blend of places that have tons of tree address and shade and individuals that are more out in the open up. I camped in an RV web page so it experienced a great deal of house for various tents plus a couple of cars. These web pages are fairly near alongside one another however and our neighbors had been just a handful of feet absent. This is not a problem if you have respectful campmates but it can definitely be an issue if the folks future to you are up late and are currently being loud. 

The bogs were almost certainly the nicest kinds I had at any time camped at with a lot of area and very clean up. We experienced two bogs really near to our web-site, which I constantly take pleasure in when camping with youngsters. The web sites all have fire pits as well. 

Costs to camp at Huntington Beach front are not affordable. Count on to pay out at minimum $60 a evening, possibly a lot more based on website and date. I feel that’s steep for camping but the factors to do at the park really make tenting right here worth it. 

Puppies are authorized at the park and campgrounds as lengthy as they are leashed. Actually, just about all the puppies at the park we encountered have been leashed, which created our stop by that much more pleasant. These were being the most dependable doggy owners I’ve ever appear across! 

The Seashore at Huntington Beach Point out Park

The seashore is roomy and broad open up. It was under no circumstances crowded. You can accessibility it suitable from the campground. There is also an obtain point throughout from the gift store next to the playground and Atalaya Castle. If you generate even further into the park past the Nature Centre, you can park in an additional whole lot by the picnic place and loos, which is closest accessibility to the jetty. 

The jetty is great. Owning developed up in New Jersey, I’ve experienced my share of jetty encounters and I constantly love discovering them. This jetty is nowhere near as hazardous as the types I climbed as a kid thankfully. It’s paved on top rated and large and extends it’s possible a hundred toes into the ocean. It is just about two miles from the parking great deal to the jetty so be well prepared, particularly with h2o and snacks on a hotter day. 

The walk above to the jetty was pretty wonderful. We observed a ton of jellyfish, starfish, crabs, shells, and neat hunting seaweed on the way to the jetty. And then strolling out on it is so lovely. Wanting north, you’ll see Myrtle Beach front and Back garden Town and to the south, you will glimpse Pawleys Island. The waves crash in opposition to the rocks on both facet of you and you can watch fishermen and gals attempt their luck. 

And we bought blessed for certain. We were ready to see a fisherman reel in a massive black suggestion shark! We watched him as he caught it and obtained the hook out of significant jaws. Honestly, the young ones assumed it was truly neat but us grown ups were possibly far more excited just since we know how exceptional it is to see a thing like this. 

There is plenty of place to cling out on the sand if you want to just take it easy and let the youngsters participate in in the ocean. Observe the tides as minimal tide is absolutely the better time of working day to hike out to the jetty and back again given that you are going to in all probability see additional wildlife and marine animals and have a lot more beach front to stroll on. 

Tour Atalaya Castle at Huntington Seaside State Park

Checking out Atalaya Castle was a large emphasize of being at Huntington Seashore State Park. The structure is a just one-tale creating in a square form with adjoining rooms that encompass a picturesque courtyard. It was the property of Arthur and Anna Huntington, philanthropists and artists, which was produced among 1931-1933. The castle has 30 rooms moreover an outside studio, secure, and area where by Anna held bears, dogs, horses, a leopard, and monkeys for her artwork initiatives. 

The Huntingtons designed the castle in a typical Spanish architecture and employed local labor, helping to buttress the economy in that spot. Component of the initial land owned by the Huntingtons provided Brookgreen Gardens, exactly where the initial general public sculpture backyard garden was set up. When Brookgreen Gardens is not element of the point out park, is it close by and you can stop by. 

We seriously savored touring the castle. There are maps available and a modest space to the still left of the main gate that relays the heritage and talks about the Huntingtons. Undoubtedly get the map. The little ones beloved matching the numbers of the rooms to those on the map and remaining our de facto tour guides. 

There is a $2 per person cost for visitors ages 6 and up. If you have a SC State Park Move, you are admitted no cost with 4 visitors! A different cause to get a condition park move. Canine are not allowed in the castle.

Wildlife Encounters

The wildlife at Huntington Beach Condition Park is abundant. As shortly as we set up camp, we headed to the seashore accessibility path, which winds by means of a minor forest and about a boardwalk, which spans a marsh. We observed a large alligator make its way from a little lake visible on one particular part of the boardwalk, by means of the sawgrass and mud, and headed right our way beneath a further portion of the boardwalk. The kids were being thrilled.

The gator went right less than us and meandered by means of the shallow stream till he came across a significantly more compact gator and shown some kind of dominant behavior. It was amazing to see. He splashed about in the water and in essence claimed to the other gator to get out of his way (very well, that’s my interpretation!). 

And proper in close proximity to there, we also glimpsed a cottonmouth snake in the sawgrass. It was so neat. The next morning in that exact place, we noticed two non-venomous drinking water snakes and a body fat bunny. It was superior than a zoo. 

If you like birdwatching at all, this is the place for you. The park claims that it’s a single of the pretty very best birding web-sites in the full Southeast. 

Right throughout from the Atalaya Castle is a very long path parallel to the canal where by you are going to enter the park. On possibly aspect you can see the swamp and there are tons of birds. I know quite tiny about birds but fortunately we satisfied a whole lot of birders who ended up useful in pointing out the different styles of birds we were being on the lookout at. I may perhaps have gotten smarter. 

The Character Heart

The park also has a cost-free Mother nature Centre, which opened just final yr, exactly where you can contact stingrays and starfish and if you are lucky, get to see them at mealtime eating shrimp. We realized that a person form of starfish really eats by pushing its tummy out of its system, digesting the food items there, and then putting its tummy back again inside of its system. Head blown correct there.

The park ranger at the Character Heart was really helpful in answering our inquiries, of which we experienced a million considering the fact that we needed to know what almost everything we observed on the seaside was named. The middle is perfect for a homeschool field trip or just for mastering more about the spot.

There is a excellent, shaded picnic region ideal future to the Character Middle as nicely a definitely prolonged boardwalk that goes out into the swamp. A significant gator was producing its way together the swamp flooring and around the boardwalk that the children acquired to go see. We also noticed plenty of birds and oyster beds out there. 

Biking and Climbing

If you can swing it, carry your bikes out to Huntington Beach front Condition Park. There are a lot of biking trails in the park as perfectly as all-around the campgrounds. I would like I had brought our bikes but we have been fairly entire in the car as it was!

There are also a several climbing trails all-around the park, most of which are great and shaded and have wildflowers and pleasurable, small entry details to swamp overlooks. Absolutely test them out for a awesome wander. 

Going to Huntington Seaside Point out Park

We definitely suggest a check out to Huntington Beach front Condition Park in Murrells Inlet. I’m always amazed by just how attractive South Carolina is, from the seashores of the Lowcountry to the mountains of the Upstate. If you’re ready to love a couple days of camping at the park, which is the way to go since there is just so a great deal to take a look at and appreciate. 

Daily admission to the park is $8/older people, $4/ages 6-15, $5/seniors. If you have a SC Point out Park all-access go, admission is cost-free for anyone in your car or truck. There is no admission charge charged for tenting. 

It took us about 4.5 several hours to get to the park from Greenville.

Huntington Beach front Condition Park  
16148 Ocean Hwy
Murrells Inlet, SC