Congaree

Congaree Swamp, South Carolina, was designated a National Park in 2003 making it one of the Nation’s youngest parks. At only 22,000 acres, it is also one of the smallest. The park protects one of the few remaining old forest areas in the once vast eastern floodplain.

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Overall rating: ★★★☆☆ based on 1 reviews.

Very peaceful, but go when it's cooler

Congaree

★★★☆☆

“ Hiking here is great, but it can get hot and stifling under the trees”

- Dan

ILNP Rating

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ILNP Park Review

In a Word. “Tranquil”

“Be still and know that I am God” -Psalm 46:10

Our Visit. I visited Congaree NP twice during trips to Columbia, SC, once in May and once in August.

Our Weather. The weather was hot and humid both times (around 90 degrees) with scattered thunderstorms in May.

Overall Impression. Congaree doesn’t feel like a National Park. You have to be looking for it to find it, and you won’t find the usual National Park crowds on the trails. When you walk into the swamp, the most striking thing is the absolute stillness. The trees don’t sway and the waters barely move, yet it feels so alive. The sound of cicadas, crickets, frogs and birds stands in stark contrast to the stillness. The vegetation closes in on the trail so much you feel that if you stood still for more than 30 minutes, the swamp will have absorbed you. This is a place for those who seek solitude.

Favorite Spot. Standing along Cedar Creek on the Weston Lake Trail

Boardwalk Trail near the Visitors Center (August)

Minimum Time Required. About 1 hour. In an hour, you can take a quick 1.7 mile hike along the Boardwalk Trail through the swamp. This will give you a feel for the ecosystem and take you alongside some of the “champion” loblolly pine and bald cypress trees the park is known for. The park is surrounded by pine lands, but soon after you begin the trek down the boardwalk, the environment begins to change. The ground gets wetter, and the pines give way to large-based Tupelos and cypress. In many places, the cypress roots protrude above the ground in clusters or “knees,” giving the area a bizarre, fairy-tale appearance.

A Longer Visit. A half to a full day is sufficient to hike many of the trails in the park. For some real solitude in the swamp, hike the Kingsnake Trail which can be accessed from South Cedar Creek Road outside the park. Additional time can be spent canoeing along peaceful Cedar Creek. Most trails start from the Visitors Center’s Boardwalk Trail, so ask a Ranger or volunteer which trails look the most promising that day. If you have at least 2-3 hours, take the Boardwalk Trail to Weston Lake Trail for a 4.5 mile hike through the heart of the swamp along Cedar Creek.

Quiet bridge where the Kingsnake Trail crosses Cedar Creek (May)

Whatever you do, take your time on the trails! Walk a minute, then stand still for a minute and look around. The stillness is amazing, and yet you begin to notice the life around you–ants scurrying, spiders weaving their webs, butterflies moving across the path and the sound of a nearby woodpecker or owl. The loudest sound is that of your own feet on the boardwalk. If there aren’t any crowds ahead of you, you may find a group of wild pigs rooting below the boardwalk (I startled such a group almost as much as they startled me). Every once and a while, look up. This area has some of the tallest trees east of the Mississippi, many reaching more than 150 feet!

Tranquil stand of Tupelos along Cedar Creek (August)

Suggestions. Wear old shoes with good tread. The boardwalk and trails are damp and slippery, so wear shoes you don’t mind getting a little mud on. Whatever you do, take your time on the trails! Walk a minute, then stand still for a minute and look around. The stillness is amazing, and yet you begin to notice the life around you–ants scurrying, spiders weaving their webs, butterflies moving across the path and the sound of a nearby woodpecker or owl. The loudest sound is that of your own feet on the boardwalk. If there aren’t any crowds ahead of you, you may find a group of wild pigs rooting below the boardwalk (I startled such a group almost as much as they startled me). Every once and a while, look up. This area has some of the tallest trees east of the Mississippi, many reaching more than 150 feet!

Bring bug repellent. I didn’t–you should.

Be prepared to be startled on occasion. I’m not a big fan of lizards, snakes or spiders, and I was startled by all of these at one point or another. They’ll leave you alone, but sometimes you can’t help but walk through a spider web or nearly trip over a large lizard. Also, keep an eye out for poison ivy and poison oak–long pants may help you here.

Nearby Towns Hopkins, Columbia (South Carolina)

Other Nearby Attractions (None noted)

Official NPS Website Congaree NP

: The Visitors Center is a great place to start. For one, most of the trails start here. There are also restrooms, exhibits, and best of all air conditioning (May)

: Some of the exhibits inside the Visitors Center (May)

: Boardwalk Trail near the Visitors Center (August)

: The boardwalk alternates between about 6 feet off the ground to just a few inches off the ground (May)

: Park volunteers and Rangers give regular walks and talks along the boardwalk. This volunteer is educating visitors on the park’s unique loblolly pines (May)

: Canoeing is allowed and would be a great way to spend a day in peace (August)

: Tranquil stand of Tupelos along Cedar Creek (August)

: While not a marked trail, the area along Cedar Creek where the Kingsnake Trail is fairly accessible, even if a little muddy. I strolled down the banks eastward about a quarter mile and soaked in the solitude (May)

: The trees are extremely dense, and the trail isn’t very wide in spots (August)

: In places, the cypress roots protrude above the surface in “knees” giving these areas a very strange appearance (August)

: There were no fewer than 12 turtles on this log at Weston Lake, wish I’d had my telephoto lens (May)

: This was the biggest non-sea turtle I’ve ever seen. He was nearly 3 feet from nose-to-tail and reportedly hangs out near the Weston Lake overlook (August)

: Many of the fungi in the park look more like flowers. I saw pink, purple and yellow fungus (August)

: Loblolly pines in the park reach upwards of 150 feet and dwarf many of the other trees making up the canopy (August)

: Another view of a giant loblolly stretching 150 feet overhead (May)

: Another of Congaree’s critters, a colorful skink. These guys are all over the boardwalk (May)

: The beginning of the Kingsnake Trail. There are no boardwalks here, and I highly recommend long pants and bug repellant (May)

: Quiet bridge where the Kingsnake Trail crosses Cedar Creek (May)

: Take time to look up at the lush green canopy (May)

: Kingsnake Trail cuts through the middle of Congaree NP. A bridge leads the trail over Cedar Creek near the beginning of the trail (May)

: You can hear thousands of tree frogs, but this was the only one I actually saw (May)

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