These are the best and worst ZIP codes to walk in around Myrtle Beach, SC. Here’s why

While Myrtle Beach offers locals and visitors perks like ocean views and temperate weather, overall, the city isn’t a great place for getting around on foot or a bike.

Walk Score, a walkability index created by real estate website Redfin, scores areas on a 100-point scale to evaluate how easily pedestrians can get around. With a walkability rating of 43 out of 100, the City of Myrtle Beach is a car-dependent city, according to the website.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t parks, beaches and trails to get your step count up, but it does indicate that most day-to-day conveniences require a car. To develop scores, Walk Score looks at walking routes to amenities including culture and entertainment, dining and drinking, errands, groceries, parks, schools and shopping.

Myrtle Beach is slightly more bikeable than walkable. Walk Score classifies the city as bikeable, with a score of 54 points out of 100.

To rank Myrtle Beach’s walkability by area, The Sun News compared the seven ZIP codes that the United States Postal Service lists for the City of Myrtle Beach. Here’s what we found.

29578

Walk Score: 80

Bike Score: 58

The most walkable and bikeable ZIP code around Myrtle Beach actually belongs to a specific P.O. box in downtown Myrtle Beach. Although Walk Score rates the surrounding 29577 ZIP code much lower, it classifies the area around 29578 as very walkable.

According to Walk Score, the area has great walking access to culture and entertainment, dining and drinking, errands, groceries and shopping. However, it has mediocre walking access to schools and poor access to parks.

29587

Walk Score: 39

Bike Score: 51

Like the 29578 ZIP code in downtown Myrtle Beach, the 29587 ZIP code belongs to a specific P.O. box, not a larger area. The P.O. box is located in the town of Surfside Beach, not the City of Myrtle Beach, but the USPS recommends using Myrtle Beach when designating deliveries.

While Walk Score says the area has good walking access to culture and entertainment, as well as dining and drinking, the area has mediocre access to errands, groceries and shopping. The website doesn’t have available analyses for the parks or schools categories.

29577

Walk Score: 34

Bike Score: 75

Although the 29577 ZIP code is home to walkable areas the Market Common and downtown Myrtle Beach, the area is still classified as car dependent as a whole. The zip code features places like the Myrtle Beach International Airport, Springmaid Pier and the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade.

The area has good walking access to culture and entertainment, as well as shopping, according to Walk Score. However, the ZIP code has mediocre walking access for errands, poor access for groceries and dining and drinking, and very bad access to parks and schools.

29572

Walk Score: 33

Bike Score: 47

The ZIP code covering much of the area from 62nd Avenue North to North Myrtle Beach between the coast and the Intracoastal Waterway features Apache Pier, golf and mini golf courses, restaurants and show venues like Pirates Voyage and the Carolina Opry Theater.

While Walk Score doesn’t list walking access to parks and schools in the 29572 ZIP code, according to the website the area has good access for errands and mediocre access for groceries and dining and drinking. However, access for shopping is rated poorly and access to culture and entertainment is rated very bad.

29575

Walk Score:18

Bike Score: 44

The ZIP code around the town of Surfside Beach and the surrounding area is another code which the USPS lists for the City of Myrtle Beach despite being outside the city’s boundaries. The area features some of the Grand Strand’s most popular campgrounds, like Ocean Lakes Family Campground and Lakewood Camping Resort.

Walk Score doesn’t show walking access to the culture and entertainment, parks or schools categories and the other categories didn’t score well. Walking access to errands and dining and drinking is mediocre, according to the website, and access to groceries and shopping is very poor.

29579

Walk Score: 4

Bike Score: 38

Although much of the ZIP code actually lies outside official city limits, the United States Postal Service lists it under Myrtle Beach. The 29579 ZIP code includes Carolina Forest and surrounding areas.

The area has good walking access to schools, according to Walk Score, but the other categories all scored poorly. The website says walking access for errands is very bad and access for all the other categories isn’t listed.

29588

Walk Score: 0

Bike Score: 28

Another ZIP code outside the City of Myrtle Beach, the 29588 area scored the lowest possible Walk Score with no points. Largely bordered by the Waccamaw River, U.S. Highway 17 and South Carolina Highway 544, the ZIP code encompasses Socastee and the surrounding area.

As the lowest-rated ZIP code in the area for both walkability and bikability, it’s no surprise that the 29588 area has poor walking access to everyday conveniences, according to Walk Score. The website says the area has very poor access to parks and dining and drinking, and doesn’t list access to the other five categories.

This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM.