33°47′0″N 80°47′0″W – Congaree National Park is located just outside of Columbia, South Carolina on highway 48. It preserves the largest area of bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The park received national park status back in 2003, making it the newest park in the United States National Park System. It covers nearly 27,000 acres. The lush trees growing in this floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the Eastern U.S., forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. The park consists of several canoeing trails along with a boardwalk system that takes you right into the heart of the park.
To access the park, take highway 48 to the park entrance onto National Park Road which leads to the parking lot. Look for the Bluff Trail Head which will take you to the Low Boardwalk. The trail is about .5 miles in length and will take us into a swampy region of the park. The Low Boardwalk passes through a bald cypress and water tupelo forest. Cypress “knees” protrude from the forest floor creating a mystical aura. The knees, part of the tree’s root system, are to help aerate the roots and to help anchor the cypress in the park’s wet soil.
The other half of the boardwalk system features the Elevated Boardwalk Trail. Much different than the Low Boardwalk, the Elevated Boardwalk is raised nearly 6-10 feet above the forest floor and winds through a diverse old-growth forest. The Elevated Boardwalk is around a mile long and ends at Weston Lake, an old channel of the Congaree River. This part of the forest is around 80-100 feet above sea level, which is flooded around 10 times per year. Changes made by Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989 are still evident. Congaree lost its national champion Shumard oak tree and more than 150 trees larger than 12 feet in circumference were located here. This area also boasts several record setting pine trees.
Weston Lake Loop Trail follows a cypress-tupelo slough, this loop traverses an old-growth forest. The trail is around 4.4 miles long and follows Cedar Creek and connects to the Low Boardwalk. Over 10,000 years ago, Weston Lake was a bend in the Congaree River. The lake now is located 2.5 miles north of the current location of the river. This bend was cut off when the river changed course, forming an “oxbow lake.” The lake is still around 25 feet deep providing a home to river otters, wood ducks, water snakes, turtles, and a variety of fish, birds, and insects.
Cedar Creek, a popular spot if you’re into canoeing or kayaking. The park offers free guided canoe tours down Cedar Creek which require a reservation. If you want to do it alone and want to rent a canoe or kayak, the nearest equipment rental is 20 minutes away in Columbia. Most of the rental companies open at 10am, so it might be a good idea to get yours the night before if you want an early start. There is a marked canoe trail on Cedar Creek, the largest channel that flows through the floodplain. The Congaree River can also be paddled, but there is no vehicle access to the river within the park boundaries. Be sure to check out The Harry Hampton Visitor Center to get more information on canoeing excursions and trails. The visitor center is open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm from October 1 to March 31. For times outside those dates, visit the National Park Service website for details.
Congaree National Park isn’t a well known National Park, but if offers a unique landscape unlike any other. Traveling to the park in the colder months are a bonus if you’re not into the bugs or crowds. Hitting the park in midweek assures you’ll find more solitude than usual. Although we didn’t canoe down the waterways, bringing a pack raft would be much easier than renting equipment, especially if you’re traveling alone.
Congaree National Park Photos
