As summer quickly approaches, bikes, paddle boards and kayaks fly off the shelves as people desperately seek any kind of connection in the beauty of nature and get outside of the house.
Something we’ve always encouraged and is the major focus of our travels. When visiting Myrtle Beach one summer, we were surprised, and pleased, by the number of places to go kayaking.
We love kayaking in new destinations, and the Myrtle Beach area offers boundless opportunities to get paddling with its access to the Intracoastal Waterway, the ocean, and many rivers.
If you’re thinking of kayaking in Myrtle Beach but you’re not sure where to go, or where to rent a kayak, then this guide is for you.
Thanks to our kayaking tours with Black River Kayaking, we were able to learn the correct way to paddle, where to go paddling, and where to connect with serene nature a vast amount of wildlife and beauty.
Where To Go Kayaking In Myrtle Beach
As you can see from the sweaters worn in our Myrtle Beach kayaking pictures in this guide, we also go kayaking during the winter time as well.
It’s an easy activity to do during the colder months as the chances are falling into the water are slim, and if you know how to paddle right, the backsplash minimal.
On two separate trips to Myrtle Beach, we experienced two different kayaking tours. Both tours were appropriate for all skill levels and children of any years of age. They have double kayaks so you can take small kids with you, or if they are over 5ft, they can paddle their own kayak.
Guided kayaking tours come with knowledgeable instructors and there is a briefing session beforehand. You also get a life jacket and your kayak rental is included.
One through the salt marshes at Huntington Beach State Park in South Myrtle Beach, and the other a little more inland on the Waccamaw River. Here’s our experience of both…
Salt Marsh Kayaking Tour, Huntington Beach State Park
Our first kayak tour was in the Murrell’s Inlet salt marsh at the border of Huntington Beach State Park.
Huntington Beach State Park is on the coast of South Carolina. It’s known for its windswept, Atlantic beach and wetlands, which are inhabited by marine life such as crabs, oysters, sea turtles, as well as alligators, and rich birdlife.
Our guide, Paul, was quick to let us know that Huntington Beach State Park has some of the best bird watching on the East Coast. A fact we discovered for ourselves on another Myrtle Beach vacation where we saw scores of bird watchers throughout the park!
As Aussies, we know what it’s like to be surrounded by an abundance of birds, each with their own personality and quirks. It’s one of the things I miss most about Australia.
So it was wonderful to paddle through marshlands thriving with birds such as egrets, herons, pelicans, cormorants, eagles, vultures, and osprey.
We even saw a kingfisher standing on the tip of the grass. It looked so much like its relative, our very own kookaburra. Unlike the kookaburra, this kingfisher is a fish eating bird and doesn’t have the laugh of the kookaburra, more like an evil cackle.
For two hours, we paddled under the warm sun through the marshlands learning more about the history of Murrells Inlet and the area, as well as the ecology of the marshlands. Paul was a friendly and knowledgeable guide on this gentle and easy scenic paddle.
It didn’t end up being an alligator adventure for us, as they were starting to move to warmer local Myrtle Beach waters. Instead it was all about serenity, solitude, and comfort, enjoying nature and exploration of this unique tidal marsh of South Carolina.
During the warmer months, you have a good chance of seeing them out in the marshlands doing a little lunch hunting. Don’t worry, they are not interested in you!
While You’re In Huntington Beach State Park
The kayak tour is only 2 hours, so while you’re in Huntington Beach State Park, spend some time exploring its stunning landscapes, on land or water. You’ll find easy trails, a boardwalk, and a wide white sandy beach.
Stop in at Murrells Inlet Marshwalk for lunch (or dinner). The Marshwalk is a ½ mile wooden boardwalk along a natural saltwater estuary with a restaurant at the end.
Check out Brookgreen Gardens, a national historic landmark that hosts the largest collection of outdoor American sculptures in the world.
There is also a small zoo, an Enchanted Storybook Forest, a butterfly house and boat rides and trekker excursions taking you deeper into the park. Most impressive to me were the magnificent live oak trees dripping in Spanish Moss.
Video: Watch us kayaking Myrtle Beach
The following video shows all the fun things to do in Myrtle Beach for the whole family, including our kayaking adventures in Huntington State Park. Watch it here.
Kayak the Waccamaw River
All holiday vacations need an equal dash of shopping, spiced warm wine, croissants, and heart elevation in the great outdoors.
We opted for one of the 2 hour Waccamaw River Kayak tours one spring to incorporate some nature into our relaxed vacation – what better way than an easy paddle down the river?
Don’t worry, kayaking the Waccamaw River is nothing too extreme, just a gentle paddling to suit the slower pace of Myrtle Beach. It was one of the gentlest kayaking paddles we’ve done; the first half I barely had to lift the oar.
The moderately moving Waccamaw River took us downstream past bald cypress, their leaves recently stripped with the changing of the seasons.
We met all manner of birds: turkey vultures, Anhingas, and kingfishers. Turtles lay sunning on logs all the way along the two-hour paddle. By the end of it, our eyes had relaxed enough to spot them ourselves.
Our guide, Robert, had his skilfully trained eyes on the trees, and he spotted a ribbon like green tree snake. After some time of peering and kayak manoeuvring, I was able to spy it slithering its way along the vines. We’re used to snakes in Australia, but we rarely see the in the U.S. so it was a real treat.
And the highlight of any swamp kayak adventure, paddling past an alligator – its eyes and snout peaking above the waterline until the moment he realized we were just too darn scary to look at any longer and soundlessly he slunk underneath the tannish colored water of this black river.
It was the most peaceful and serene way to spend the morning, especially during this time of social distanced travel.
There was not another soul in sight, just us and our guides, respectfully keeping their distance but teaching us so much about the ecosystem of this region as we went by.
In this time of chaos and uncertainty when you don’t know each morning when you wake what on earth this year is going to deliver to us today, this was the perfect therapy needed to escape to a moment in time where none of that chaos exists.
Just let me sit here silently listening to the bird’s call and connecting to the perfection of Mother Nature.
Read more: Read more from our 3-day itinerary for your Myrtle Beach vacation and more ideas on family things to do in Myrtle Beach, (including beyond the beach!)
More East Coast USA Travel Tips
Need more inspiration for visiting the East Coast of the USA? Particularly in the Southeast region? Here are some other helpful guides…
- Unique Things to do in North Carolina
- A Mountains and music road trip (TN – NC)
- Places to visit on a Southeast Coast Road Trip (NC- FL)
- Why you Should Visit Wrightsville Beach, NC (Our USA favorite)
- The most fun things to do in the Outer Banks
- Beach vacation to the NC Brunswick Islands
- What to do in Charleston, South Carolina
- Essential things to do in Beaufort, SC
- Favorite things to do in Raleigh, NC (our locals guide!)
- Things to do in Wilmington, NC
- 2 Day Itinerary for Wrightsville Beach
- 4 Day Beach Vacation to the Brunswick Islands NC
- Things to do in Carolina Beach, NC
Comment: Are you planning to go kayaking in Myrtle Beach? Have you found any special places to kayak on the East Coast? Let us know in the comments.
