Life on Paws and Wheels

Simba and I hiked the Yaupon, Sculptured Oak and Pond Trail at Myrtle Beach State Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina , an easy coastal hike that reveals a completely different side of one of America's busiest beach destinations. Instead of hotels, restaurants, entertainment attractions, and crowded streets, much of this hike passes beneath a dense canopy through a protected maritime forest only a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean. The route combines several portions of the trail system inside Myrtle Beach State Park, including the Sculptured Oak Trail, Yaupon Trail, and a spur leading toward a small freshwater pond . Individually, these trails are relatively short, but they can be connected with boardwalks, park roads, and portions of the beachfront to create a longer route commonly mapped at around 2.7 miles. What made the hike interesting wasn't difficult terrain or dramatic elevation. The landscape is almost entirely flat. Instead, Simba and I were able to walk throug...

Simba and I hiked the NMB Nature Trail in Little River, South Carolina , a surprisingly secluded woodland trail winding through the Peter Horry Wildlife Preserve just outside North Myrtle Beach. After spending so much time exploring beaches, marshes, waterfront boardwalks, and other coastal attractions throughout the Grand Strand, this hike offered something completely different. Instead of ocean views and salt marshes, we found ourselves walking for miles beneath tall pines through a quiet section of protected Lowcountry forest. The trail's location is part of what makes it so surprising. The North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex and all of its recreational facilities are nearby, while the hotels, restaurants, beaches, shopping centers, and attractions of North Myrtle Beach are only a short drive away. Once Simba and I traveled farther into the woods, however, much of that surrounding development disappeared behind the trees. Long stretches of the hike felt far more remot...

Simba and I visited and hiked through Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens in Little River, South Carolina , a beautiful Lowcountry preserve where wooded trails and long wooden boardwalks wind through more than 115 acres of coastal forest, wetlands, salt marsh, and small islands along the Intracoastal Waterway. Despite being only a short distance from the busy attractions of the Grand Strand, the park feels surprisingly quiet and secluded. With approximately three miles of nature trails and boardwalks , Vereen Memorial Gardens turned out to be an ideal place for an easy hike with Simba. Much of our walk took us beneath a shady coastal forest before the trails transitioned onto boardwalks extending across the tidal marsh. Eventually, we reached the waterfront, where overlooks provide views across the Intracoastal Waterway and boats pass through the surrounding coastal landscape. The natural scenery alone would make Vereen worth visiting, but there is considerably more hidden throughout th...