Photo: Pollinator · CC BY-SA 3.0Murrells Inlet has 7.1 miles of mapped trails, 1.0 for every square mile of land
6% of Murrells Inlet’s land is conserved, about 297 acres. 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 53 acres are parks and preserves, 5.2 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #39 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Murrells Inlet?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Murrells Inlet have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Murrells Inlet is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #39 of 169 in South Carolina. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Few South Carolina towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Murrells Inlet’s 6% is ahead of 85% of South Carolina towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
297 conserved acres
6% of Murrells Inlet’s land. Who manages Murrells Inlet’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 216 | Restricted |
| Brookgreen Gardens Marshland Private Conservation | Private owners | 52 | Closed |
| Brookgreen Gardens Forest Private Conservation | Private owners | 46 | Closed |
| Brookgreen Gardens Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 41 | Closed |
| Huntington Beach State Park State Park | State parks | 31 | Open |
| Wachesaw Park Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Murrells Inlet Boat Ramp State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
| Luther Alston Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Murrells Inlet
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
1 named trail
4.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Murrells Inlet: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.2 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 58 | 60 | 66 | 73 | 80 | 86 | 89 | 88 | 83 | 76 | 67 | 60 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
November is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 6.4 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Murrells Inlet →
Murrells Inlet and its neighbors
Murrells Inlet has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murrells Inlet | 6% | 1.0 | 5 | 46% | B− |
| Garden City | 1% | 0.4 | 2 | 47% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Murrells Inlet
Where can I hike in Murrells Inlet?
The longest trail networks: Morse Landing Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Murrells Inlet is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 1% for a South Carolina town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Murrells Inlet’s trails?
Huntington Beach State Park and Wachesaw Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Murrells Inlet?
4.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes and 1.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Murrells Inlet?
4,318 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Murrells Inlet or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 53 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Murrells Inlet have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #39 of 169 in South Carolina. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Murrells Inlet neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →