North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex
Park
164 acres2.4 mi of trail
NMBC Pathway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Melikamp · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in North Myrtle Beach
12% of North Myrtle Beach’s land is conserved: 1,731 acres
The biggest trail networks: North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex (2.4 mi), Heritage Shores Nature Preserve (0.8 mi). 14 miles of mapped trail cross North Myrtle Beach, 0.6 per square mile of land. 251 acres are parks and preserves, 13 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #12 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,731 acres · of 22.6 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
251 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.1 mi
0.5 mi lanes · 4.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
6 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is North Myrtle Beach?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Myrtle Beach have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Myrtle Beach is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #12 of 169 in South Carolina. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Myrtle Beach’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical SC town 1% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · SC 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (251 acres) · SC 6 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home62% of residents within a half mile of a park · SC 52% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
South Carolina towns of 2,500+ (169)Ahead of 93%
Few South Carolina towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so North Myrtle Beach’s 12% is ahead of 95% of South Carolina towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Heritage Shores Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
20 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Ingram Dunes Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex164 acres · 2.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHeritage Shores Nature Preserve20 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Central Park21 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMcLean Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsIngram Dunes Nature Preserve8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPeter Horry Wildlife Preserve71 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCherry Grove Oceanfront Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve16 acres
Cherry Grove Park7 acres
DirectionsHill Street Park1 acres
41st Avenue S Pocket Park1 acres
Ocean Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,731 conserved acres
12% of North Myrtle Beach’s land. Who manages North Myrtle Beach’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,487 ac
Town or city242 ac
State natural resources1 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,487 acLocal Park · 184 acLocal Conservation Area · 51 acLocal Recreation Area · 6 acPrivate Conservation · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,487 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Myrtle Beach Park And Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 155 | Open |
| Russell Burgess Coastal Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 41 | Restricted |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Heritage Shores Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 12 | Restricted |
| McLean Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Cherry Grove Park and Boat Ramp Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Hill Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve / Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in North Myrtle Beach
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North Myrtle Beach
Cherry Grove Beach
DirectionsCrescent Beach
DirectionsFutch Beach
DirectionsIngram Beach
DirectionsOcean Drive Beach
DirectionsWindy Hill Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in North Myrtle Beach
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in North Myrtle Beach
Cherry Grove Boat RampIn Cherry Grove Park
DirectionsCherry Grove Boat RampIn Cherry Grove Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in North Myrtle Beach
Barefoot RV Resort
DirectionsNice walk up beach
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.8 mi
NMBC Pathway1.2 mi
Blue Trail0.1 mi
Gold Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Tennis
16Baseball
8Soccer
4Golf
4Pickleball
3Basketball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in North Myrtle Beach: 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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 56 | 59 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 83 | 75 | 66 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
April is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 6.7 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Myrtle Beach →
Next door
North Myrtle Beach and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Myrtle Beach | 12% | 0.6 | 13 | 62% | B+ |
| Little River | 7% | 2.2 | under 1 | 5% | C+ |
| Myrtle Beach | 2% | 0.9 | 8 | 72% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Myrtle Beach
Where can I hike in North Myrtle Beach?
The longest trail networks: North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex, 2.4 miles; Heritage Shores Nature Preserve, 0.8 miles; Central Park, 0.3 miles; McLean Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Myrtle Beach is conserved land?
12% 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 North Myrtle Beach’s trails?
North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex and Heritage Shores Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Myrtle Beach?
5.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes and 4.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Myrtle Beach?
17,139 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Myrtle Beach or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 251 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North Myrtle Beach have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 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 North Myrtle Beach neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →