Largest beach access and parking area on Pawleys Island receives makeover

New visitors to Pawleys Island often have two questions for town officials: “Where can I park?” and “Where can I find public beach access?”

That’s why Georgetown County has refurbished the Pawleys Island south-end parking lot, the county’s largest free parking area for beach access. The 3.3-acre parking lot area has been owned and maintained by the county since 1969.

Previously, the parking lot was covered in sand and spaces were marked with railroad ties. Now the parking lot is paved, and the 75 spaces are marked clearly with white lines. A shed for a beach wheelchair donated by the Adaptive Surf Project and portable toilets is also located there.

The project also included sand fencing and a new wooden walkway for beach access. The work began in October 2024, and it was completed and opened for use in January 2025.

“This project has been underway since 2019 when Hurricane Dorian destroyed the beach/lot at this location,” said Beth Goodale, director of recreation and community services for Georgetown County. “Heavy regular use, combined with weather at this location required the lot to be graded often to keep the surface usable.”

She said she has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help fund the $417,000 project. County road user fees were used for paving the lot.

She said the parking lot has been repaved with concrete, part of which is pervious, and lined. Sand fencing was installed, and the trash cans were replaced with covered ones. She added that the old dirt/sand lot was very difficult to maintain.

“Hurricanes prior to Dorian required extensive repairs annually and the beach access was also lost several storms ago,” Goodale said. “Heavy regular use, combined with weather at this location required the lot to be graded often to keep the surface usable.”

Pawleys Island Town Administrator Daniel Newquist said he is glad the project has been completed.

“Maintenance will be a lot easier now that this project is complete,” he said.

Newquist said that the south-end parking area/beach access is the easiest place to direct newcomers to the island.

“People call Town Hall, and when we offer them options, we start by suggesting the south-end parking lot,” Newquist said. “When they get there, now they will find it more appealing and user-friendly.”

He noted, however, that swimmers on the south end of the island need to be cautious of rip currents, as with other parts of the island. There are safety tips and life rings at each beach access on the island.

“We are conscious of swimmer safety on the island,” he said.

By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce