We set off to leave Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on a beautiful sunny morning. We love rv’ing in any weather, but it isn’t easy to leave when the sun is shining for the first time of the visit. It just makes me want to go see those things we missed, like the beaches, or even see some of the same things again. It is all in the timing !
In this case, we were commited to move on and while I regretted not being able to see more of Myrtle Beach, SC, I did notice there was a State park just ahead and suggested we stop to have a look at that. That turned out to be a good thing. It was beautiful.
There is a fee to pay to gain entrance to state parks so we paid as we went thru the gateway and hoped we would at least see something good for that! I had no information other than having seen the park on the map.
Bird sanctuary
We followed the road and within a short distance we were enjoying the park. We drove over a causeway with water on either side of the road with a peaceful bird sanctuary. One side is freshwater lake which is also home to alligators but we didn’t spend any time looking for them. The other side of the causeway is a salt marsh and is therefore subject to the tidewaters.
Birdwatching viewpoint
We see lots of people with cameras and binoculars walking along the roadside and birdwatching from designated spots. Huntington Beach consists of 2500 acres filled with diverse coastal habitat with sand dunes and beaches as well as the salt marsh, freshwater impoundment and maritime forest.
Bird marsh in Huntington Beach State Park
We weren’t sure what birds we were looking at but these look like they are egrets, the tide was out and they were enjoying a lunch buffet from the marshy ground. Some of these birds appeared to have pink on their wings. The park offers nesting areas and food and shelter for about 300 species of birds, and is known to offer some of the best bird watching on the east coast.
Huntington Beach on the Grand Strand
This was exactly what I had hoped we would see ! Rare coastal plants are seen all over the park but we’re enjoying the grasses on the beach as we approach this beautiful scene. There were miles of sandy beach and several people enjoying the warm fall day.
Surfing not for Maggie
There is no way that we could get onto this gorgeous beach without getting into that water. We weren’t going swimming, as others were doing but we wanted to get our feet wet and enjoy the feel of the sand between our toes. I took video pictures trying to get Maggie playing in the water, too, but she was having nothing to do with that . When those waves came her way, she headed back and seemed confused about it all.
Maggie liked this view better
Maggie made her point when she got to the end of her leash and sat with her back to the waves. She is not a water girl and was having nothing to do with it. 
Three miles of beautiful Huntington Beach, SC
This three mile beach on the Grand Strand is enjoyed by many of the locals as well as campers and RV’ers who stay in the campground available at the State Park. Imagine camping near this beach and feeling the sea breeze on your face day after day. Learn more about the campground and you may wish to make your plans to include this beautiful park.
Huntington Beach State Park is available due to the generosity of Archer and Anne Hyatt Huntington who left the park and the adjacent Brookgreen Gardens as their legacy to be enjoyed by the thousands, and more likely millions of visitors who come into the park. There is an Environmental Education Center that offers field trips March thru November and information for everything in the park. We enjoyed our visit at Huntington Beach State Park and it was absolutely worth the entrance fee, there should have been no doubt.