Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park, in South Carolina, protects what the Park Service calls "the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest" remaining in the southeastern United States. The Congaree and Wateree rivers sweep through its floodplain, where the canopy averages over 100 feet. In 2025 the park had 287,833 recreation visits, 18.9% more than in 2024.

Congaree is free, 19 miles from Columbia, and floods about ten times a year, which shapes almost every plan here. We read the figures below on 28 October 2026 on the park's own pages and alerts, Recreation.gov, the USGS and National Weather Service river gauges, the airports' own sites and NOAA's normals.

What do you pay for at Congaree when entry is free?

Congaree charges no entrance fee and needs no pass or timed entry: "There is no fee to enter the park," in the Park Service's words. The park does not sell America the Beautiful passes. It is not on the 2026 list of eleven parks that add $100 for each non-resident aged 16 or over, so a visitor from abroad pays nothing at the gate.

The park's charges are for camping and for one event. Longleaf Campground costs $15 a night, or $25 for a group site, and Bluff Campground $10; Senior and Access pass holders pay half. The firefly pass costs $25 a vehicle, and a picnic shelter $25 for half a day or $50 for a full day. A backcountry permit is free.

You need no cash at the gate. Campsites are sold only through Recreation.gov or its phone line, firefly passes through Recreation.gov, and the park takes no camping payment in person. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors covers the parks that do charge.

Is the Congaree boardwalk open during the rebuild?

The Congaree Boardwalk Trail was listed open on the park's trail page of 10 July 2026. The construction page's last update, of 23 May 2026, says "The Boardwalk is currently open!" The same page still calls the project underway, with completion projected for summer 2026. We found no notice that the work has finished. On 28 October 2026 the park's alerts listed nothing about the boardwalk.

The project removes about 3,800 feet of low boardwalk, which even minor floods often submerge, and replaces it with elevated boardwalk built to accessibility standards. The first sections date from the 1980s. McGary Construction holds the contract, and work was due to begin on 6 January 2025, closing sections in turn. When it is done, three-quarters of the trail will be elevated, and a second overlook will stand at the east end of Weston Lake.

The loop is 2.6 miles on the park's trail and boardwalk pages, while a planning page from 2020 gives 2.4 miles of boardwalk. No page says how long the loop will be after the rebuild. The trail is flat, wheelchair- and stroller-accessible and lined with benches, with a self-guided brochure in the visitor-centre breezeway. Dogs on a leash of 6 feet or less are allowed, but the park warns that the elevated sections have no quick way off.

How do you know whether Congaree is flooded today?

Congaree floods "approximately ten times each year", in the Park Service's words, and almost 80% of the park lies in the floodplain. Rain does not have to fall at the park itself: rain far up the watershed raises the river. Floods are most frequent from November to February, and they can make even parts of the boardwalk inaccessible.

The park's Alerts page is the place to look first. The trail page promises that an alert will always be posted in a flood, and warns that its own trail table may not be updated each time. The conditions page links three river gauges and a National Weather Service forecast, and the visitor centre answers questions on (803) 776-4396.

Cedar Creek's flood stage is about 8 feet. The Congaree River at the park's west boundary floods at about 15 feet, which is also the Weather Service's minor-flood stage; moderate is 18 feet and major 20. At 10 a.m. on 28 October 2026 the provisional USGS readings were 2.70 feet on Cedar Creek and 3.38 feet on the river. The Weather Service forecast 3.5 feet for 31 October, with no flooding.

Storms close the park by news release as well. Ahead of Hurricane Helene, the park and every trail closed at 4 p.m. on 26 September 2024, and the campgrounds stopped taking reservations.

Which Congaree trails stay dry when the river rises?

Four Congaree trails are not subject to flooding: the elevated boardwalk and the Bluff, Firefly and Longleaf trails. Every other trail floods from time to time. The distances below are the park's own, round trip unless noted; on its trail page of 10 July 2026 every trail was listed open.

The park's alert on 28 October 2026 said GPS is necessary on the Oakridge, Boggy Gut and Kingsnake trails. The trail table adds that numerous trees are down on Boggy Gut. Over 20,000 acres of the park are designated wilderness, and cell reception is unreliable, so carry a map and compass. The tallest tree is a national champion loblolly pine, 170 feet when last measured.

Can you paddle Cedar Creek without your own canoe?

You can paddle Cedar Creek without your own boat only on a guided trip or with a rental from Columbia, because the park rents no canoes or kayaks. The marked Cedar Creek Canoe Trail winds about 15 miles through the Congaree Wilderness, from Bannister's Bridge to the Congaree River. River otters, deer, turtles, wading birds and the occasional alligator live along it.

Three outfitters hold park permits and run guided trips of about three hours from South Cedar Creek Landing. Palmetto Outdoor runs canoe tours at 11 a.m. most days, and J.K. Adventure Guides canoe and kayak tours at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Carolina Outdoor Adventures runs kayak tours daily at 9:30 a.m. The park's page prints no prices.

Cedar Creek's level can swing as much as 10 feet, and above the 8-foot flood stage the park calls paddling not advisable, especially for beginners. On 28 October 2026 the park's alert warned of trees down between Bannister's Bridge and South Cedar Creek, which may mean long portages. The weather page calls autumn water levels ideal, but the canoe pages warn the level can change in any season.

Bannister's Bridge to Cedar Creek Landing is about 6.2 miles, four to six hours. From Cedar Creek on to the Route 601 landing is about 20 miles and 12 to 14 hours, best as an overnight trip with a free backcountry permit. The Congaree River Blue Trail is a different route: 50 miles on the river from Columbia to the Route 601 landing, over two to three days.

How does the Congaree firefly lottery work?

Congaree's synchronous fireflies, Photuris frontalis in the Park Service's caption, flash together for about two weeks between mid-May and mid-June. They are one of only three synchronous species in North America. The fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are a different species, Photinus carolinus.

The 2026 event ran from 13 to 20 May, and entry on those nights needed a Recreation.gov pass won in a lottery. The lottery ran from 10 a.m. on 7 April to 10 a.m. on 14 April, with results on 17 April and one entry per household.

Applying cost a non-refundable $1, and winners paid $24 more, $25 a vehicle. Each night had 145 passes. Applicants could pick up to six dates and won one, with no changes, refunds or rain checks.

A firefly pass admits one passenger vehicle of up to two axles that fits a standard parking space, with up to eight people. The pass does not admit RVs, trailers, large vans or buses. Gates open at 7 p.m. and close to entry at 8:30 p.m., and the flashing is usually best between 9 and 10 p.m. Only red light is allowed, phones may not be used in the viewing area, and no pets are permitted.

From 4:30 p.m. on event days, the visitor centre, the boardwalk, the frontcountry trails, both campgrounds and part of Cedar Creek close to everyone else. The 2026 pass cost $5 more than in 2025, when the event ran from 14 to 21 May for $20; no page says why. On 28 October 2026 neither the Park Service nor Recreation.gov had published 2027 dates or a lottery window.

What does the mosquito meter at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center show?

The mosquito meter is a carved wooden sign in the Harry Hampton Visitor Center lobby. In a photograph from 2011 it rated the mosquitoes on a six-step dial, from 1, All Clear, through Mild, Moderate, Severe and Ruthless to 6, War Zone. No Park Service page we read mentions the sign, so we cannot say who sets it today or what it reads.

The park's own pages disagree on the insects themselves. The conditions page of 2026 says mosquitoes are out from mid-spring until mid-autumn, and a page from 2020 singles out summer. The weather page of 2021 says insects are generally not a problem in spring. The conditions page warns of ticks as well.

Longleaf or Bluff: which Congaree campground fits?

Congaree's two campgrounds, Longleaf and Bluff, are open all year, by reservation only, for tents and hammocks only. Neither takes RVs or trailers, and nobody may sleep in a vehicle. Bookings go through Recreation.gov or 1-877-444-6777. Recreation.gov says the flooding that regularly reaches the rest of the park spares both campgrounds.

An individual site holds up to eight people and three tents, and a Longleaf group site 9 to 24 people. Stays are limited to 14 nights in a row, fires to the rings in the two campgrounds, and firewood to local or certified wood. Drinking water runs day and night at the visitor centre. Backcountry camping needs a free permit by email at least 72 hours ahead.

Congaree has no lodge, hotel or food service inside the park. Gadsden, about ten minutes away, has limited food, and the nearest hotels are in Columbia, about 20 minutes away in the Park Service's words.

When is the Harry Hampton Visitor Center open?

The Harry Hampton Visitor Center opens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the park itself stays open 24 hours a day all year. The centre closes on five federal holidays: 26 November and 25 December 2026, then 1 January, 15 February and 11 October 2027. The park and the centre may also close for hazardous weather.

Give a GPS the address 100 National Park Road, Hopkins, SC 29061; the park warns that some devices send drivers elsewhere. Free Wi-Fi works in and just outside the building. The lots fill early on busy days, and March, April and May were the busiest months of 2025, each with over 33,000 visits.

How hot is Congaree in July?

Congaree's nearest NOAA station, at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, averages a July high of 93°F, and Columbia sees about 81 days a year at or above 90°F. The park's weather page says summer highs often pass 100°F and recommends spring and autumn instead, when, in its words, insects are generally not a problem.

The table gives NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Columbia Metropolitan Airport station, 18.8 miles north-east of the park in a straight line. Columbia gets 45.24 inches of rain a year and 1.2 inches of snow, and July is the wettest month. The park's weather page says autumn colour peaks between the end of October and early November, and that winter nights can drop below freezing.

How far is Congaree from Columbia, Charlotte and Charleston?

Congaree's Harry Hampton Visitor Center is 18.7 miles from the South Carolina State House in Columbia by our own routing, about 35 minutes. The Park Service puts Columbia approximately 20 minutes away. From I-77 Exit 5, the park's directions run 13.5 miles by SC 48 (Bluff Road) and Old Bluff Road.

Our routing assumes no traffic, and no Park Service page explains the gap between its times and ours. Columbia's airport flies nonstop to ten US airports and lists no scheduled international flight. Charleston's only international nonstop goes to Cancún, and Charlotte Douglas lists Air Canada, Lufthansa and Etihad among its airlines.

Getting there without a car is hard. The COMET's route 47 stops at the visitor centre, but on 28 October 2026 the park's alert said the bus may be unavailable. The same alert said taxis and rideshares do not often come out. Congaree is on Eastern Time, daylight saving time ended on 1 November 2026, and the park is one of the stops in our guide to South Carolina.