Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail Hike Route Map

Huntington Beach State Park (7-1-14)

Huntington Beach State Park is located on the Atlantic Coast of South Carolina just to the south of Myrtle Beach.  I found myself here on a rather hot summer day looking to spend some time soaking up the sun and taking advantage of the cool ocean waters and breezes.  Being who I am, however, I couldn't leave it at that.  I decided soon after arriving I'd have to spend at least a short time on some kind of trail as well as visiting the park's unique historic home known as Atalaya.


First off, the trail...the Sandpiper Nature Trail leads from a parking area beside the park nature center about 2.5 miles out to the beach boardwalk.  It was a nice walk, as you'll see, but the heat was amazingly oppressive and so I found myself jumping from shade tree to shade tree most of the way.  It was quite nice to have an ocean to cool off in at the end of my walk.  After the hike I headed over to perhaps the park's most unique feature, the historic home of artist Archer Huntington known as Atalaya.  Huntington lived here from about 1930 through the mid-1940's and is perhaps best known for designing the neighboring Brookgreen Gardens.  Deeded to the state in 1960, the historic home and the estate grounds became today's state park...


Trailhead GPS Coordinates:  33.509559, -79.062936


Route Type:  Point-to-point

Difficulty:  EASY

Mileage Hiked: 3.0 miles

Hike Duration: 1:00

Trailhead Temp: 90'F

Min. Elevation: 0 ft.

Max. Elevation: 10'


Trails Used (blaze color):  Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail (unblazed)


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