Congaree National Park

The Boardwalk Loop is definitely one of America's coolest hikes. It's 2.4 miles right through the swamps and jungle-like forests! Plus, it'd be crazy awesome to see a real bobcat in the wild. Incredible canoeing, too!

This place also smells like fart.

This national park is a beautiful must see! The boardwalk loop was a fun way to navigate through the swampy forest. When we went we got to the park before sunrise and began the loop as the sun was rising. It seemed to be the perfect time. Not only was there nobody else around, but there was wildlife everywhere!

Got a chance to see this place today. Gorgeous park and it’s quiet and peaceful. Saw a bunch of squirrels but not many other animals. We took the boardwalk and it took about an hour and a half. There’s also a few other trials to check out too. Also seems that winter is one of the better times to see this park because the mosquitoes out here are brutal other times of the year.

We visited this park in the heat of the summer during the morning. As you wlk in the shadows of the forest, it was not too hod. We saw many spiders in their large webs (nothing scary), lizards, beautiful insects, turtles in the water, and even an alligator in the river! The board walk was easy to walk and went through nice stretches of forest. We were amazed by the strange structures formed by the roots of the trees. It felt like walking through a fairytale landscape. We almost passed the visitor center but what a surprise! It is beautiful with great displays of all the animals you can see. Very kind and enthousiastic staff; they looked up several spiders for us and were just as excited as we were. Great place and not too far from Columbia.

You can do kayaking for free!! My only complaint is that some of the trails were not maintained well.

The Boardwalk Loop was fantastic! It started raining and the 'boards' (not made of wood), became slippery. Also, we couldn't complete the loop as a part of the Upper Boardwalk was closed. Even so, the trees and diversity of plants and animals was terrific.

The boardwalk was an amazing hike through the swamps of Congaree National Park. With pamphlets that indicated certain features along the path it was a very informative experience as well. The park is tucked away outside the city of Columbia, SC and offers a nice and tranquil experience. Bring your bug spray though because the fireflies will let you know they’re there.

We loved walking through this park and stopping at the numbers to read what each area was about. It was at a 2 on the mosquito meeter, but the flies were bugging us more so than anything else. We saw lots of salamanders, fish, turtles and a snake. It was definitely hot, but the shade helps. I am glad we were able to stop by this park and experience it!

Gorgeous park! The rangers were very friendly and informative.