Congaree National Park With Dogs: What It’s Like Visiting in Spring

When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. See our Affiliate Policy. Some people call Congaree National Park “the worst national park” or just plain “underwhelming”. I can understand that if you’re comparing it to places like Yosemite, Yellowstone or Arches National Park. But I think that misses the point of what makes this place special. Let me explain, because this park is much more than meets the eye. Plus, it’s one of the most dog-friendly national parks in the country! We thought it would be fun to spend a long 4-day weekend in South Carolina, so, we packed up the car Wednesday night after I finished work, secured our pups in their car seats and we hit the road. By 7 pm, all four of us were heading east from Alabama toward South Carolina. We love driving at night since there’s less traffic, the roads are quieter and with both of us driving, one of us can always get some sleep in the passenger seat. This would be our first time visiting Congaree National Park and our 38th state that we’ve visited together. We can’t visit a National Park without a sign picture Six hours later (and one lost hour thanks to the time zone change), we arrived in Columbia a little after 2 am. We were all exhausted, so we unpacked just enough and fell asleep. Well… that’s not entirely true. Minerva has been deep into Stardew Valley lately, and I’ve loved watching her build her farm. Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from the screen and fell asleep. Where to Stay Near Congaree National Park (Dog-Friendly Options) After finally getting some sleep, we were up and ready to explore Congaree. But before we get into the park itself, I want to talk about where we stayed (especially if you’re traveling with dogs like we were). We only booked 20 days before our March trip, so our options were more limited than if we planned further ahead. We ended up booking a room at La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Columbia Southeast / Fort Jackson since it fit everything we were looking for at a decent price: Dog-friendly (but with a $25 per dog per night fee, ouch!) Breakfast included from 6 to 9 am Affordable compared to nearby Airbnbs Just a 30-minute drive from Congaree, right off I-20 The room itself was your typical hotel room with a bed, TV, mini fridge and a microwave. I got the feeling that the dog friendly rooms were all on the first floor since that’s where we were and where we heard a lot of barking from our neighbors. Lily’s hotel ‘preparation’ for a NP hike If you’re not like us and do actually plan ahead, there are quite a few hotel options in and around Columbia (all fairly close to Congaree). We usually travel with a few things that make our stays more comfortable. A travel router (set it to the same name as your home Wi-Fi and everything connects automatically), a Chromecast with Google TV (I don’t like logging into personal accounts on shared devices) and a small 360-degree Eufy camera so we can keep an eye on the dogs while we’re out. Each morning, we took the pups to a small grassy strip out front by the parking lot that quickly became Toby and Lily’s designated bathroom spot. Then went back in, picked up some of the complementary breakfast (things like eggs, waffles, coffee, yogurt and muffins) and got ready to explore the park. Once we were packed and covered in sunscreen, we started the 30-minute drive down I-20 and I-77 South towards Congaree. First Impressions of Congaree National Park We pulled into the rather large parking lot near the Harry Hampton Visitor Center a little after 1 pm and were surprised that, unlike a lot of other National Parks, Congaree has no entrance fee (I had my National Park Annual Pass out and everything!). There are covered picnic areas by the parking lot, which look like great spots to take a break. Congaree has a surprisingly large parking lot Our late March visit couldn’t have been better timed weather and bug-wise. Highs were in the 80s with lows in the 50s. And, most importantly, the bugs were barely a bother. We put on some bug spray before entering the park (do not put it on while in the park because it will harm the delicate ecosystem thriving there). Congaree National Park Weather Congaree has a reputation for mosquitoes (there are apparently ~20 different mosquito species there). They even have their own ‘mosquito meter’ which ranges from ‘All Clear’ to flat out ‘War Zone’ (I don’t know what ‘War Zone’ looks like and I don’t want to find out). The bugs in late March were still around (mosquitoes always seem to find Minerva no matter what), but neither of us got mosquito bites. Definitely nothing like what I read about summer visits. 🔬 Science with Sam: Congaree isn’t actually a swamp, it’s a floodplain. The park floods around 10 times a year, and those floodwaters bring in nutrient-rich sediment that helps grow some of the tallest trees in the eastern U.S. We also stepped into the Harry Hampton Visitor Center (open from 9am to 5pm daily). I always like picking up a t-shirt and a national park magnet for our fridge from all the parks we’ve explored (14 and counting!). Inside, there are a few interesting exhibits of the park’s history, along with a short 15-minute film about the old-growth forest. Congaree National Park Boardwalk Trail Guide The most popular trail in Congaree is the 2.4-mile Boardwalk Loop Trail. It’s the one you’re probably seen in pictures of the park. What makes this short trail so interesting is that you’re walking on boardwalks a couple feet above the forest floor, the same area where water levels rise and fall throughout the year. In some ways, it reminded me of the boardwalk and stair sections along West Beach in Indiana Dunes National Park, just placed in a forest instead of along the dunes. This AllTrails map needs analytics cookies to load. These cookies cover both our site and the embedded content. Or View on AllTrails Near the start of the trail by the visitor center, the forest floor beneath the boardwalk was mostly dry with a few muddy sections. Our walk along the boardwalk ended up being a little different than most for two reasons: Construction on the low boardwalk section (expected to open summer of 2026), and Lily being a little nervous walking along the boardwalk (I’ll get to that in a bit) We knew before our visit that part of the loop wouldn’t be accessible. As we walked, we saw a couple boards that had been replaced and sections of railing that looked recently repaired. The Boardwalk Loop has been around since the 1980s, but with flooding happening multiple times a year, parts of it are constantly being repaired, rebuilt or elevated. Since most of the southwest portion of the loop was closed, we walked east towards the intersection of Sims Trail and Bluff Trail, then followed the Boardwalk Loop south towards the Weston Lake Overlook. This is also where you can meet up to the Firefly trail which leads back to the visitor center. We came across an area of standing water with trees sticking straight out of it (just like how the floodplain probably looks during high water) as we continued south. The beautiful area was only accented by a bunch of flies buzzing over the still water. Unfortunately, we only made it about half way to Weston Lake before turning around (Lily had had enough of the boardwalk). We headed back toward the visitor center and decided to take the Firefly Trail instead, which gave her a break from the boards. The Firefly Trail is the same one where the synchronous firefly viewing takes place each year between mid-May to mid-June (the actual date changes each year). There’s a lottery you can enter if you’re interested! Visiting Congaree National Park With Dogs (What to Know) Congaree is one of the most dog-friendly national parks we’ve visited. Dogs are allowed everywhere in the park except for buildings, which makes it a great option if you travel with dogs like we do. Dogs just need to be on leashes (6 feet long maximum), you must clean up after them and you should also be aware of ticks (Congaree has a lot of bugs, after all!). Just two dogs exploring Congaree National Park But one thing we didn’t expect was how nervous boardwalks make Lily. She would slowly walk forward while maintaining eye contact with the ground through cracks between the boards. And every time someone walked past us, the vibrations through the boards would make her slow down even more. The gaps between the boards are also bigger than you might think. Especially for smaller dogs. Toby, our 14-year old senior little man, loved every step of the walk (and probably wanted to walk even more). He was fired up. We just had to keep an eye on him so his little paws didn’t slide between the boards (they still did a few times). Mind the boardwalk gaps Our two biggest tips for taking the Boardwalk Loop Trail with dogs are to: Watch their paws on the boardwalk Pay attention to how they react to being on the boards and the vibrations If your dog also gets nervous on the boardwalk, the Sims Trail is a great “ground-level” alternative that still gets you into the forest but keeps paws on the dirt. Toby beaming from ear to ear What Makes Congaree Unique? Congaree might not immediately surprise you the same way that places like Yosemite or Yellowstone do. There are no mountains, no geysers or massive valleys. Black bears have been seen near Congaree NP, but you’ll more likely see deer, wild boar and alligators (we didn’t see any of these at all). What makes Congaree special is that it protects the largest intact old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in North America. This is an ecosystem that used to cover millions of acres across the Southeast. But now it’s almost all gone. The trees here, like the loblolly pine, are some of the tallest in the eastern United States. Some are over 150 feet tall (their ‘Champion Trees‘)! They grow this way because of the floodplain which regularly brings in nutrient-rich sediment that feeds the forest. The forest goes through cycles of flooding, draining and rebuilding. It’s not really a swamp in the way people think. The Firefly Trail leading back to the visitor center Tips for Visiting Congaree National Park Here are a few things that stood out from our visit to Congaree National Park: Parking: The lot was surprisingly full when we pulled in, but it’s large enough that we still found a spot without circling the lot Bugs: We had minimal bugs in early spring. From everything we’ve read, I’d expect a very different, very bug-filled experience later in the year. Water (for you & your dog): We forgot our dog’s water bowl and ended up using a plastic souvenir container as a makeshift one. It worked in a pinch, but we should have double checked our packing. Trail conditions: Parts of the boardwalk were under construction during our visit, so double check current conditions before you go. Is Congaree National Park Worth Visiting? Yes, definitely. But it depends on what you’re expecting. If you go into this expecting dramatic landscapes or mountains, you might leave feeling a little underwhelmed. I think that’s where a lot of the “disappointing” comments come from. But if you’re ok with something a little quieter that exists to protect something rare, then it’s absolutely worth it. It’s a great reminder that places like Congaree National Park exist to protect public lands. One-Day Itinerary for Congaree National Park With the exception of Lily, we loved the Boardwalk Loop Trail. If you only have a single day to explore the park, check this trail out. It starts right outside the visitor center, is relatively short at 2.4 miles and loops right back to the start. It’s an awesome way to explore what makes Congaree special. Would We Visit Congaree Again? If we’re in South Carolina again (at some point I’d like to explore Charleston), I think we would stop here again. Other blogs say that this park changes a lot depending on the season. I think we got lucky in late March with barely any bugs, but I’m really curious what it looks like when the water is higher or when the fireflies are out. Congaree National Park isn’t trying to compete with places like Yosemite National Park or Yellowstone National Park. And I think that’s why some people don’t like it. But it deserves to be protected. Once you learn that you’re walking through one of the last old-growth floodplain forests left in the Southeast, the park becomes a lot more interesting.