Best Hikes Ever: Sandpiper Trail, SC
Emerge from crane-crossed coastal grasslands to pristine beaches.
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South Carolina’s coast isn’t only for Parrotheads. Just 20 miles south of tourist stronghold Myrtle Beach sit the pristine coast and camping areas at Huntington Beach State Park. Take a 6.2-mile lollipop loop departing from the education center. But first walk the lonely boardwalk out into spartina grass marshlands, where the mud crawls with silver-dollar-size fiddler crabs. Keep an eye open for egrets, leggy blue herons, and alligators sunning themselves as you retrace your steps back to the parking lot. From there, hike the Sandpiper Trail through hammocks of long-needle pines. Where the trail ends, begin walking the fine-sand beach, home to seasonal loggerhead turtle nests.
Map Free, huntingtonbeachsc.org
Contact (843) 237-4440; southcarolinaparks.com