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Congaree National Park– an Introduction
The Congaree National Park of South Carolina stands as the remnant of the largest old-growth floodplain forest of the continent. The most unique fact about this USA national park lies within the lush vegetation of the forest. The towering trees of the Congaree National Park in U.S represent great bio diversity and constitute one of the highest natural canopies still existing on earth. The most common tree to be seen in the region is Bald Cypress. The National Park is named after the Congaree River flowing through the wilderness. The park covers an area of 60.70 square kilometers and about 70 percent of it has been designated as wild.
Visiting Congaree National Park
A vacation at Congaree National Park is simply wonderful. You will get ample options to be merry. There are various ways one can take an elaborate tour of the park but apart from that there are innumerable things to do. One can walk and paddle through the changing environment of the flood forest and collect some treasures moments. There is a well marked exhibition arena in the Congaree National Park. A walk over there will give you glimpses of the charming nature around. The backwoods hiking trails, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing are the other leisure activities to be indulged over here.
Camping: There are two camp sites in the national park and they are short walks from the parking lot. One can also go for tranquil outings or picnic in the wilderness of the backcountry woods.
Guided Tours: There are different types of guided tours available in the Congaree National Park and they are immensely helpful in planning the sightseeing itinerary of the park. The most popular guided tour of Congaree National Park is the ranger guided canoe tours offered free on most of the Saturdays and Sundays.
Opening Hours
The Harry Hampton Visitor Center:
Open daily from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM.
During daylight savings time (DST) it will be open until 7:00 PM on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The Congaree National Park is open every day except on December 25th, that is, the Christmas.
How to Reach
The easiest way to reach the Congaree National Park is by going for about twenty miles towards the southeastern part of Columbia. Take a route via I-77 and Bluff Road or S.C. 48 and follow the road signs well. It might take an entire day or half of the day for finishing the journey. Once you reach the visitor center, take the boardwalk trail and travel a distance of about 2.4 miles. Then get diverted to Weston Lake Loop Trail concentrating around an ox bow lake. If you are an ardent bird watcher then you can go to the king snake trail, which happens to be bit remote but is a birdwatcher’s paradise.
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