Destination List > Congaree National Park
Congaree National Park
Photo by Ken Lund
The history...
Congaree National Park is a 26,276-acre national park in central South Carolina, 18 miles southeast of the state capital, Columbia.
The park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The lush trees growing in its floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the eastern United States, forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. The Congaree River flows through the park. About 15,000 acres are designated as a wilderness area.
The park received its official designation in 2003 as the culmination of a grassroots campaign that began in 1969.
Fun Fact
The park is home to both national and state champion trees. A champion tree is one that is judged to be the largest of its species.
