History
Ingram Dunes Natural Area is a 7.24-acre nature preserve dedicated to conservation and environmental education. The preserve was created in 2019 from land purchased by the City of North Myrtle Beach from the Ingram family. The original 9-acre site was slated to become a 30+ home development when concerned citizens recognized the ecological importance of the site and convinced the city and state legislators to plan for the area's preservation.
Ingram Dunes has a fascinating history. It is the last remaining part of a relic dune system formed approximately 80,0000 years ago when the ocean was much higher. The tops of the high dunes were likely islands in the Atlantic Ocean at once time. Today, the largest high dune rises 50 feet above sea level, making it the highest relic dune left on the coast of South Carolina.
The high ground of the dunes would have likely been used by the Waccamaw people, who fished at seasonal emcampments in the estuaries along the coast. Shell deposits, arrow heads, and pottery shards have been found at Ingram Dunes - evidence of the area's importance to humanity long before the incorporation of North Myrtle Beach.
Today, Ingram Dunes Natural Area maintains a natural setting. Animals and people from the entire region take advantage of its trails and mature maritime forest. It has become the urban sanctuary many community members envisioned years ago.