1286 October 15, 2025 Huntington Beach State Park

I was feeling really good this morning and I set a goal to walk to the bridge.  I was able to walk 3.25 miles without foot pain.  This was my longest walk post injury and it is a huge big deal not to hurt anymore!

I was thinking that we might stay longer in Holden Beach but we were able to secure reservations for two nights at Huntington Beach Sate Park.  We have tried to get reservations here before but this is the crown jewel of the SC state park system and it stays full.  We drove out of Holden Beach and then another 1 ½ hours into South Carolina and then around Myrtle Beach.  We arrived in early afternoon.  We rested and then we cycled through the park.  We began at the beach.  The tide was very high and there were lots of people enjoying a very small amount of beach. 

We sat in a pavilion along the marsh and watched little white egrets hunting for food.

This is a ghost tree and it is part of a ghost forest.  With rising sea levels, the tidal water now reaches further inland.  Hardwood trees are not able to tolerate the salinity and they die.

We biked to the nature center and walked through the exhibits.

The access to the pier was flooded at the salt marsh.

We biked across the causeway.

We spotted a couple of alligators.

This little guy was less than two feet long.

This park has lots of birds probably because it has such a wide range of protected habitats.

We packed dinner and took the Jeep back to the nature center where that was a nice picnic area. 

The tide had receded and we were able to get out onto the pier for the sunset.

Tim saw this group of roseate spoonbills roosting on a damaged portion of the pier.  The no see ums chased us back to the car.

We went back out to the beach and took a walk.

What a perfect mild and pleasant day!

We also got to FaceTime with both boys and all the grandchildren!