Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve

On July 27 we will visit Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve in Horry County. Lewis Ocean Bay is named for its Carolina Bays – elliptical or oval depressions of uncertain origin found in North and South Carolina, along with a few in Georgia, Virginia, and Delaware. Carolina Bays are isolated freshwater wetlands, usually filling with rainwater in winter and spring and then drying down in the summer months. Water level determines the plants and animals that inhabit each bay. Dense thickets of blueberries, huckleberries, fetterbush, and zenobia cover many of the bays, interspersed with sweet bay, catbriar, gallberry and titi. A thin canopy of pond pine and loblolly bay trees may be present, while on the surrounding sand rims, longleaf pine and live oak are often found.

We’ll meet at the main parking lot on International Road at 10:30 AM – parking lot is marked “P” in the map below, and the route from Conway is highlighted in yellow. From downtown Conway (junction of Main Street / US-501-Bus and 4th Avenue), go 1.7 miles southeast on Main Street / US-501-Bus southeast. Turn left (east) onto SC-90 and go 6.8 miles east. Turn right (southeast) onto International Road and go 1.5 miles to the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve parking lot.

Latitude: 33.806592 Longitude: -78.893133