Congaree National Park

If you are like most people, you have never heard of Congaree National Park. And if you have, you’ve probably heard stories about it being the worst national park in the country. You may have heard that it’s nothing but a bunch of trees in water, or it’s covered with snakes and spiders. “And, oh those mosquitos, they are horrible”! My experience, however, was completely different. In fact, this might just be the most misrepresented national park in the country.

Congaree National Park, located about 30 minutes outside of Columbia South Carolina, is one of the largest and best-preserved bottomland hardwood forests in the United States. Its diverse ecosystems are home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including over 200 species of birds, 75 species of trees, and numerous amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The park is also recognized as a critical habitat for migratory birds, and its biodiversity makes it a vital area for scientific research and ecological studies.

The park has been formed over time by regular flooding of the Congaree River. When the river floods, it deposits sediments, such as sand, silt, and clay, across the land. These deposits create rich, fertile soil that supports a variety of plant and animal life. One of the most remarkable features of Congaree National Park is its old-growth forest of cypress, oaks, and sweetgum, which have grown for centuries, making Congaree one of the largest tracts of protected old-growth bottomland forest in the United States. How did we never hear about this before?

Although Congaree has only been designated as a national park since 2003, it’s government protection as a valuable natural resource dates back to 1969 when it was initially established as a National Natural Landmark. Although a large percentage of the park is designated as wilderness area, there are two primary activities for those visiting the park, hiking and kayaking.

The most popular trail by far in the park is the Boardwalk Loop Trail. This 2.3-mile loop cuts right through the forest and wetland on a wooden boardwalk. It’s a peaceful walk staying clean and dry while literally traversing through swampy waters and old growth trees. The cypress “knees” growing up from the water are especially interesting. And yes, you might see some snakes, turtles or lizards below if you look closely. Looking above in the trees might bring an owl, woodpecker or other birds into view. One thing, however, we did not witness at all was mosquitos. Not one bug on the entire trail. The only negative to this trail for us was that they were doing construction on the back half of the trail, so this was an up and back for us rather than a loop.

For a slightly longer hike, the Boardwalk Loop can be combined with the Weston Lake Loop trail. This gets you off the boardwalk and even deeper into the forest. A short detour to Wise Lake is advisable as well if you’re doing this. I was later informed that two alligators live in Wise Lake, which we did not see.

The highlight of this visit for me was kayaking on Cedar Creek. I met up with Carolina Outdoor Adventures where Billy and team took us on a three-hour guided tour. It was so peaceful and serene (and informative). We saw an owl, woodpecker and a snake on an old stump as we slowly paddled down the creek. Billy took us into a thicker wooded section at the end that required some kayaking skills to maneuver through. We then had some time just to freely explore this wet forest from the kayak. This was a spot that spoke to me and if I lived in the area, it would be place where I would go back to often. Carolina Outdoor Adventures was even good enough to provide us with a short video of our adventure.

Although Congaree National Park may not have the wow factor of some of the big national parks out west, one must appreciate it for what it is. And what it is, is something truly unique and very peaceful. What it is not, is a horrible bug infested, snake ridden swamp. I suspect the summer months may bring some less-than-ideal conditions, so you might want to avoid July and August. As a bonus, we found the city of Columbia to be very pleasant and we very much enjoyed their Saturday Soda City Market.

Be sure to check out all of our pictures from Congaree, and if you’re an RV’er consider staying at Big Rig Friendly RV Park, a very well run park in Columbia.