Methods and apparatus are provided for storing survivor paths in a Viterbi detector. At least one register and at least one pointer are maintained for each state. Each register stores a bit sequence associated with a Viterbi state and each pointer points to one of the registers. A trellis transition type is determined, for example, based on a decision from an add/compare/select unit. One or more predefined rules based on a trellis structure and the trellis transition type are employed to exchange one or more of the pointers and to update one or more of the at least one registers. A survivor path memory is also disclosed for a Viterbi detector. The survivor path memory comprises a plurality of columns, each associated with a different time step, and an input processor. Each column comprises a latch for storing one bit of a bit sequence associated with a Viterbi state.