Huntington Beach State Park.

The Atlantic Ocean provides the eastern boundary of Huntington Beach State Park located on the northeast coast of South Carolina. Situated in Georgetown County on U.S. Highway 17, the park sits 18 miles north of the city of Georgetown and three miles south of Murrells Inlet. The South Carolina State Park Service manages Huntington Beach State Park as a Traditional State Park, meaning that a number of coordinated programs for the preservation and conservation of defining natural and cultural resources are a high priority, and also allow for a variety of outdoor recreation activities supported by core resources. The park covers 2,500 acres, which include 1,000 acres of marsh and wetlands. The salt marsh is a nursery for thousands of species of marine life. The 14-acre Mullet Pond and 27-acre Mallard Pond are home to the American alligator and other fresh water inhabitants. A causeway suitable for foot or vehicular traffic separates the two areas. The park also boasts three miles Of undeveloped beach that is highly significant to both visitor's and wildlife, as well as manages one of the few remaining natural areas on the Grand Strand.

Park History

Huntington Beach was leased from Brookgreen Gardens in May 1960. This cooperative agreement has enabled the South Carolina State Park Service to provide for public beach access and a quality outdoor experience that is not easily found with the ever-decreasing available coastline. The State Park Service and Brookgreen Gardens negotiated a new lease that became effective in December 1994. The new agreement has worked to the mutual benefit of both Brookgreen Gardens and the State Park Service while it ensures that park visitors will benefit from the facilities, resources and outdoor education experiences at the park for many years to come.

The park first opened its gates to blacks during the summer of 1961. However, they only had access to the north end of the park due to the state segregation laws in place at the time. Facilities in this area included a picnic area, swimming area, concession building and restrooms. The south end of the park was developed for whites only and opened during the summer of 1962. Between 1960 and 1962, roads, picnic areas and restrooms were built in this area. Other construction during this period included the 1,000-foot causeway, used for vehicular traffic, and campgrounds in both the black and white-only areas of the park. In 1963, the entire state park system was closed by order of the Legislature in response to a desegregation lawsuit brought against the state by the NAACP. Within a year, Huntington Beach and the other state parks reopened on an integrated basis.

Facilities constructed after 1964 include a park office, maintenance shop, the north campground, park store, concession stand, and additional restrooms. Roads across the causeway and to the north end of the park were paved. In 1977, state park officials worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer to build two rock jetties at the north beach area, Murrells Inlet. This helped stabilize the inlet and alleviated the erosion problems on the north beach. The project was completed in the spring of 1980. The south jetty was paved for fisherman access.

One of the most significant natural occurrences in the history of Huntington Beach came September 22, 1989 when Hurricane Hugo struck the coast of South Carolina. Huntington Beach was devastated, losing thousands of trees and major park facilities. For five years following the hurricane, park operations were conducted in mobile units. On April 1, 1994, new facilities were completed, including an office, gift shop, restroom, concession area, new boardwalks, parking lots and a staff residence. Since 1994, park facilities have included 60 new campsites, a comfort station, relocation of the park entrance and a new admissions booth. Water service was also provided through the Georgetown County Water and Sewer Authority.

In 1997, the South Carolina State Park Service produced a new strategic management plan called A New Vision for the 21st Century. "I realize daily that our park management plan is the single most valuable tool I have had in over 25 years with the park service. The plan has revolutionized my work and greatly increased the overall productivity of the park," says Keith Windham, Park Manager. The plan focuses on preserving natural resources through education and stewardship. Huntington Beach's daily Coastal Exploration programs educate the visitor on the importance of protecting our natural, cultural and historical resources for future generations to enjoy. "We teach thousands of park visitors annually about the importance of stewardship and preservation of natural areas through our environmental education programs. The message is taught to the several thousands of school children who visit the park for field trips each year. We're making long-term impact -- and that's important." Along with the programs visitors also enjoy beachcombing, swimming and fishing on three miles of shoreline, as well as camping, nature trails, wildlife viewing, crabbing, picnicking and tours of Atalaya, the former winter home of American sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington and her philanthropist husband, Archer Milton Huntington.

Ecology and Wildlife

Located on the lower section of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province, Huntington Beach contains 2,500 acres of maritime habitat that support a very diverse assemblage of flora and fauna. Habitats found within the park include sandy beach and dune swale ecosystems, intertidal rocky shore (jetty), salt marsh, brackish-water marsh, freshwater marsh and higher elevation maritime forest communities, and hammock island ecosystems.

The maritime forest at Huntington Beach was severely altered by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Large areas of mixed mature pines and hardwood under story were inundated by saltwater, killing most of the trees east of Mullet and Mallard Ponds. Since that time, these areas now succeed towards a mature forest and consist of immature loblolly, live oak and a mixture of hardwoods. Dominating shrub communities include wax myrtle, groundsel and yaupon holly. Areas with higher elevation (old dune ridges and west of salt marsh) survived saltwater intrusion and still resemble a mature maritime forest of red cedar, live oak and mixed pines. Low lying areas with some constant fresh water input have developed stands of bald cypress, black gum, coastal willow and other water tolerant species.

The most outstanding geological feature at Huntington is the sand dune system. These environments provide nesting habitat for a variety of wildlife while creating a buffer from storms and high tides. In recent years, these mature sand dune habitats have become rare along the Grand Strand due to beach development, increasing sea level and storms. Currently, Huntington's Beach is known for the best-preserved beach along the Grand Strand and one of the State's finest natural beaches.

The diverse ecosystem at Huntington Beach State Park contains a wide variety of wildlife. The various ecosystems found here include intertidal rocky shore, sandy beach and dune field system, brackish and freshwater wetlands, salt marsh and maritime forest.

The jetties of Murrells Inlet are an artificial habitat created to help control natural inlet migration and optimize safety for marine navigation. The south jetty of Murrells Inlet defines the northern boundary of the park and is paved on top to provide visitor access. These man-made jetties of Murrells Inlet are another example of a unique, diverse and productive coastal habitat. Animal communities associated with the intertidal zone include scorched mussels, various species of acorn barnacle, tunicates and sea anemones.

The ecosystem within Huntington Beach has seen its share of problems, due primarily to visitor usage, leading to the closure of portions of the park. "Our bold move in closing the south campground was unconventional, at best," says Windham. "We knew it was necessary as its is one of the last undeveloped areas on the cost of South Carolina, providing invaluable animal habitat, natural vegetation growth, and a sanctuary unmatched along the Grand Stand." In the long run, closing portions of the park is a proper way to manage this delicate and important environment. Already, improvements are being noticed by Windham and his staff. "Our program to manage and restore the endangered and threatened plant, Seabeach Amaranth, is exciting and producing impressive results."

Visitation and Customer Service

The majority of visitors to Huntington Beach are from South Carolina, with North Carolina close behind. While a number of visitors come to camp, relax, and partake in the environmental education programs, local school programs also represent a strong portion of the yearly attendance to the park. Ranging from day trips for elementary students to internships and work-study opportunities for high school and college students, it is easy to see that the educational benefits of Huntington Beach are a welcome and eye-opening attraction. The trail system is a major factor in inviting visitors: two short trails, Kerrigan Nature Trail and Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail, allow guests to explore freshwater habitat, dune systems and the maritime forest.

Park service employees take great pride in offering resourceful information to visitors, and are always willing and able to direct, guide and suggest activities. "Providing quality customer service is of the utmost importance, we want to create life long memories for the hundreds of thousands of visitors that plan their trip to our park each year", remarks Windham.

Park profile contains information from the Huntington Beach State Park General Management Plan. Thanks to Keith Windham, Park Manager, for his remarks.

For more information about Huntington Beach State Park, visit their website, www.southcarolinaparks.com.