Lockwood Folly Inlet

Lockwood Folly Inlet marks the eastern end of Holden Beach, where the Lockwood Folly River meets the Atlantic. The shifting sand bars and braided channels make for excellent shelling, and the salt marshes inside the inlet are some of the best in the area for kayaking and bird-watching. Egrets, ibis, ospreys and the occasional brown pelican all show up here, and dolphins regularly work the inlet on a rising tide.

Boats run from the bridge area on Holden Beach out through the inlet for inshore fishing or for the run down the Intracoastal Waterway. The bar can be rough, so smaller boats often wait for the tide. There is no formal public access on the Holden Beach side — most visitors reach it by walking the east end of the beach at low tide, which can be a long but rewarding stroll.

things to do sight
A story
The inlet is named for William Lockwood, an 18th-century settler who built a boat at the head of the river upstream and tried to sail it out to sea. He failed — the boat ran aground at the inlet's shifting bar — and the channel kept his name as a memorial to the misadventure. The bar is still treacherous; it has to be dredged constantly and changes shape after every nor'easter.