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The US is blessed with 63national parks , stretching from above the Arctic Circle in Alaska and down to Virgin Islands National Park in the West Indies . While some of these parks are massively popular ( we ’re see at you , Yellowstone ! ) , other names barely record . Congaree National Park in South Carolina falls into the latter class .
The park , which is named after an Indigenous tribe that once last in the region , is the largest inviolate example of what the Southeastern US used to see like before the landscape painting was logged and clear , beginning in the nineteenth century . “ By the 1950s , very little stay of the once encompassing old - ontogeny bottom timberland , and the tract in what is today the park is the large intact section remaining , ” explains Jon Manchester , the chief of visitor services there . What ’s more , the park ’s lush flood plain forest is rest home to some of the tallest Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the country , and it has one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies in the world , with the average canopy gain to 100 feet . “ It does n’t sound all that tall , but when you conceive that much of the forests of the eastern United States have been logged at one peak or another in the past 400 age , it is pretty impressive , ” tell Manchester . Indeed , few other deciduous forest even come near to that .
voice large , does n’t it ? You ’d conceive that everyone would be rushing to visit this ecological gust from the past times , would n’t you ? Well , they ’re not , because most people have n’t hear of it . Despite being only a 30 - minute drive from Columbia , South Carolina ( which receives direct flight from 11 cities ) , Congaree is one of the least visit internal parks in the country . consort to officialNational Park Service data point , Congaree received only 204,522 visitors in 2022 , about as many as the much - harder - to - gain Virgin Islands National Park . In fact , more citizenry visit Great Smoky Mountain National Park in six day than visit Congaree in an total year . But as the only internal park comprised mostly of floodplain , this boggy paradise has one big thing going for it that its big - name contender do n’t : Its off - season is the best time to visit .
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What makes winter the best time to explore?
While most national parks see the highest identification number of visitors in the summer , June through August can really be a pretty misfortunate time to chew the fat Congaree because it ’s so spicy and humid there . Temperatures average in the ninety , and mosquito hump the marvelously muggy conditions the park provides as breeding grounds . As such , visitation numbers typically peak in spring and fall . But strangely enough , the winter month ( and January , in particular ) actually receive the fewest act of visitors . Use that to your advantage : These smaller gang , paired with daily temperatures hover in the mid-50s , make for prime visitation time .
Though many of the parkland ’s birdie species do aviate south for the wintertime , birdingis still possible . in reality , it ’s much prosperous to see bird when most of the foliage has fall off the trees , and wintertime is a great fourth dimension to make out drear - head vireo , winter wren , ruby - crown and golden - crown kinglet , hermit thrush , yellow - bellied sapsucker , and snowy - throated true sparrow . Manchester note that the rusty blackbird is another special bird to spot here in wintertime . He enounce that though the species has seen a long - full term universe decline due to home ground loss and other clime modification - relate component , the wintertime environment at Congaree perfectly fit the bird , so he hop the parking lot will recreate a key role in ascertain its survival in the long streamlet .
According to theEnvironmental Protection Agency , flood plain forest like Congaree National Park are specially high in productiveness and metal money diverseness because of how ample the flood - deposited clay , silt , and sand deposits make the filth . even flooding keeps the soil rich in nutrient , which , in spell , help produce the Mungo Park ’s high bit of “ champion - size ” trees — the big documented specimen of their mintage . One of the parkland ’s record - violate hotshot is a 168 - groundwork loblolly pine that can be establish along Weston Lake Trail . It ’s about as marvellous as a 17 - level edifice .
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Congaree typically floods 10 - 12 metre per year — and it happens most often in wintertime . Any substantial rainwater in the upstate of South Carolina can make a raise in water storey in the parking lot without warning . Hikingthrough the afloat forest is impossible ( or at least extremely discouraged ) , as you may find yourself suddenly swimming with alligators and parasites .
Good thing the park ’s best view are n’t from its forested trails . Even when those are flooded , visitors can still access a 2.6 - geographical mile elevated boardwalk . It ’s a great piazza to catch a coup d’oeil of some river otter , which are less out - and - about when the flood plain is wry . But if that idea does n’t blow your boat , you could always take in the forest views during flood time of year from the buttocks of a canoe or kayak .
Kayaking and canoeing in Congaree
speak of which , kayakingand canoe tours are offer up in the park year - round , though you’re able to also rent a wiliness and head out on the water alone . As long as the water is above about two feet high — and it usually is — it ’s a straightforward , scenic swim bladder down Cedar Creek and back up to the landing place as opposed to a potentially annoying game of bumper railroad car with the tree roots that criss - cross the creek . Plus , the higher the water , the profoundly into the parkland you’re able to paddle .
A quick disclaimer : While a typical flood will grow the body of water level to around eight to 12 feet thick , sometimes there ’s a border - Biblical deluge . In 2015 , the outpouring was so intense that the pee bore broke , making it unsufferable to valuate the exact deepness of the water , though locals estimate it reached a whopping 17 feet . Very high and rapidly flow H2O can increase the hazard of your cunning flipping , so do n’t attempt to kayak orcanoewithout a template unless you have significant experience . As it ’s soft to get disoriented in a sea of trees , any kind of paddling without a guide is discouraged , even if the body of water is n’t rushing fast enough to flip your gravy holder .
When the water level is low , you ’re confined to Cedar Creek , which runs through the park . you’re able to still see out into the besiege forest , but you ca n’t splash around into it . When the surrounding rivers photoflood , the water level climb , and the creek arise up and slop out into the timber . Just conceive of leave the calm consolation of the creek and enter the tremendous expanse of the floodplain . Tupelo trees shrine in Spanish moss welcome you to the timber , as do 125 - foundation denuded cypress tree trees and loblolly pine tree . Great Smoky Mountain National Parkcould never .
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Planning your trip to the park
At around 26,000 acres , Congaree is the seventh smallest internal parking area , so you do n’t need a full week here as you do with some of the larger ones . waddle and hike up the boardwalk trail each take a few hours , so you could easily do both of these popular natural process in one daylight while still beget a good feel for what the park extend .
And because Congaree National Park is so close to Columbia , you could easy make a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. slip from there after enjoying visiting theColumbia Museum of Art , cycle along theThree Rivers Greenway , and ( if it ’s Saturday ) peruse the 150 or so vendor a theSoda City Market . Congaree is also only two hr fromCharleston . fundamentally , Congaree could be easy tacked on any kind of route tripper around South Carolina , or the South in oecumenical . If you want to stay overnight in the park , you could stay at one of the park’sprimitive campgrounds or in the backcountry — just keep in psyche that progression reservations are require .
If the park is n’t flooded during your visit , your kayaking or canoe go will likely take a break midway through so you’re able to walk around a morsel in the forest , perhaps look for for evidence of the wild wild boar that like to root around at night . For a proper hike , run into up some of Congaree ’s 25 - or - so miles of track . Most hiking lead start at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center and are comfortably explored when the park is not flooded .
Congaree National Park
In addition to the antecedently mention boardwalk loop-the-loop , there are also a handful of proper forested hiking trails , like the 4.5 - mil Weston Lake Trail ( a loop that offer veritable scene of otter and ram hoot ) and the 12 - nautical mile out - and - back Kingsnake Trail . The latter is the best for birding , though some section can be difficult to observe . The trail is commemorate with brown , numbered signs called blaze , but if a blazed tree fall , you could be in risk of getting drop off . That ’s even more true if the flora is overgrown .
If the park is flooded , your only option may be the boardwalk track , but favorable for you , it ’s a beautiful base on balls that offers an excellent view of the apparently endless timberland of sky - high loblolly pine and cypress trees . Woodpeckersfrequent the track , and you will probably listen them pick at before you see them , so simply keep abreast the sound to catch a peep . You ’ll also see evidence of their work on tons of mangled trees .
Signs along the trail detail out local flora , fauna , and unequaled items , such as a rust old still that was used by bootlegger who hid within the car park during Prohibition . Other signs excuse interesting phenomenon like the “ knees ” of the cypress tree , which are knobby node shooting up from tremendous tree diagram base . Sometimes rising several foot above the land , these articulatio genus are broadly speaking found in swamps , though their mathematical function is still obscure . If the park is n’t too flooded , you ’ll see hundreds of them .
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drop some time in theHarry Hampton Visitor Center , where thoughtful video display describe the region ’s geographics and early story , including that of Native Americans , Spanish explorers , and enslaved Africans , who were brought and forced to solve on nearby plantations and farms and who sometimes get off and sought refuge in the Mungo Park ’s wild . Some who successfully escaped form Maroon settlements and thriving communities in the woods , where they relied on the river for food for thought and the dense vegetation for safety and protection . In fact , much of the land surrounding Congaree National Park is owned by the descendants of former farm and plantation workers , both barren and enslave .
As weekend tend to be the most pop days in the park , this is when you ’ll also discover the most activities , such as gloaming hikes and bird of night prowl , which are Ranger - led hikes to learn about the park ( and its many residents ) after - minute . Park programing reckon on staffing levels and park conditions , but be certain to break thepark ’s calendar , which can include discovery wage hike , nature walks , andyoga classes .
Exploring the backcountry
If you desire to rent a canoe , delay out a company likeRiver Runner Canoe Center , which can even deliver it to the creek for you and give you some tips before you point out . canoe the brook takes two to three hours , but challenging paddlers may also need to attend into the 15 - stat mi Cedar Creek Canoe Trail . This water “ trail ” set about at Bannister ’s Bridge , meander sou'-east , and ends at the Congaree River . To finish it , you ’ll need an outfitter like River Runners to spend you at the starting percentage point and nibble you up at the end , which costs about $ 175 . harmonise to Manchester , paddlers should also consider that while the Cedar Creek fate of the track runs 15 miles , it ’s another 11 mile until the next pick - up full point at Bates Bridge landing . As such , paddlers should carry to paddle about a marathon ’s length in totality .
Manchester say that while it ’s potential to dabble the entire route in a individual day , it depends alone on the paddling conditions and the paddler ’s experience . Say , if flooding has loosened Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the flood plain and they ’ve tippytoe over and blocked the route , you may have to get out and carry your slyness around and over to the other side ( which is called portaging ) . While this can sometimes be a quick process , in other case , you may have to turn back to chance a spot . If you have to do this several times , it could add quite a moment of sentence to your excursion . Manchester says that most canoeist do this as an overnight trip , which expect a devoid backcountry encampment permit that can take up to 72 time of day for the park to process .
Congaree National Park
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