Waccamaw Bikeway

Joseph Turner By

Local Opinion

Every day, I wake up and brush my teeth, then I strap on my sneakers and hit the Waccamaw Bikeway for my morning walk. I usually will take the dog for a walk, again on the Bikeway, mid-afternoon, and again in the evening. In an area that has long wanted for sidewalks, the path is a welcome change since my childhood, and is one of my favorite updates the area has received since I left.

Things to Know About the Waccamaw Bikeway

The Waccamaw Bikeway (formerly called Bike the Neck) is a paved path that connects Pawleys Island to Murrells Inlet. The path begins in the south on the South Causeway to Pawleys and tightly follows Highway 17 until the intersection with Waverly Road. It turns to follow the north side of Waverly Road, turning right on Kings River Road, and then right again on Willbrook Boulevard. This whole section is very pleasant, as the path winds around homes, All Saints church, and golf courses, through the woods and past a couple ponds. At the end of Willbrook, it again follows 17 going north, passing Huntington Beach. This section is more wooded, offering shade in the summer, though it is tight in some places and sees a fair amount of traffic from both the Pawleys side and the Murrells Inlet side. Finally, it continues into Murrells Inlet, where it turns into more of a bike lane. The entire trail through this area is 18.6 miles, one way.

The Bikeway is part of the East Coast Greenway, an organization dedicated to building a bikeable path to rival the Appalachian Trail. The end goal is to connect pathways from Maine to Florida!

While that may or may not happen in our lifetimes, there are current rumblings about plans to connect the Waccamaw Bikeway to Georgetown. I’m curious how they plan to get across the bridges, but I’d love to see that - it would open up pedestrian and bike traffic to our area.

The section around the South Causeway isn’t strictly a separated bike path, so be careful in this area. The section down Waverly is currently under construction, and the path isn’t complete, requiring you to cross into the road in a couple of places. Once you get north of North Litchfield, the path can be pretty jarring, with root intrusions into the pavement that cause big bumps if you’re riding fast on a bike without suspension. While bikes are pretty common in the area, once on Murrells inlet and no longer on a separated path, all the usual concerns about biking in traffic should apply, especially if it’s dark.

Other hazards come in the form of walkers with dogs on long leads, which can intrude on or interfere with the personal space of other path-goers. E-bikes, which have been gaining in popularity in recent years, offer outdoor experiences to folks with limited mobility. Unfortunately, these heavy bikes also go very fast for some of the narrower sections of path. I have yet to see a collision, but I expect they’ve already happened, and more are just a matter of time.

Whether on an e-bike or a regular bike, it’s advisable to have some way to announce yourself to walkers and runners, like a bell.

Neighborhoods with Direct Access to the Waccamaw Bikeway

I personally find it to be a tremendous amenity to have access to the Bikeway. I can walk every day, but I can also hop on my bike and cruise to somewhere else in town without worrying about traffic. This includes the Food Lion and all the restaurants on Willbrook, so if I find myself in the need of both some sunlight and some groceries, or a beer, or a snack, I can casually bike over there.

Obviously, many of these neighborhoods are large. Getting from one end of the neighborhood to the point where you can actually get on the Bikeway may be nontrivial, but all of these communities have some frontage on the path.