Congaree National Park

The largest intact tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States, per NPS, with one of the tallest deciduous canopies in the world. This is a floodplain, not a swamp: the Congaree River floods it roughly ten times a year and then drains, which is why the park dropped Swamp from its name in 2003. The elevated Boardwalk Loop runs through bald cypress and water tupelo with cypress knees rising from the mud, so a family can stand inside the forest without getting their feet wet.

A tea-colored blackwater creek, stained by tannins from decaying leaves, that winds through the interior of the floodplain. The designated Cedar Creek Canoe Trail runs about 15 miles; the standard half-day section is Bannister's Bridge to Cedar Creek Landing. This is how repeat visitors see the part of the park the boardwalk only edges, by water, under the canopy.

Congaree holds National Champions, the largest recorded individual of a species, for several trees, including a loblolly pine measured at more than 167 feet per American Forests, plus champions for more than a dozen species. The height records are the reason the protection campaign succeeded: the old-growth was measurably extraordinary, not just scenic. Ranger-led big-tree walks off the boardwalk are run periodically.

Photuris frontalis, the synchronous fireflies, flash in unison along the floodplain edge for a roughly two-week window in mid-May. It is one of only a few documented synchronous-firefly sites in North America. Vehicle access during the peak is by lottery only, with a $1 application fee, through recreation.gov; a visit anytime in the second half of May usually still finds them. The catch with kids is standing quietly in the dark for about 30 minutes.

The park's only major building, named for Harry R. E. Hampton (1897 to 1980), the Columbia newspaperman who pushed to protect the Congaree from the 1950s onward. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. The center co-interprets Congaree and Catawba history and the antebellum freedom-seeker communities of the floodplain, and it posts the six-level Mosquito Meter at the door. Free park entry; the Junior Ranger book is here.

Congaree has no developed campground. The two front-country primitive sites are Longleaf, near the entrance and group-friendly, and Bluff, a 1.7-mile walk in on slightly higher ground the floodplain rarely reaches, which is the difference between a dry tent and a wet one. Permits are free and required, issued through recreation.gov or at the visitor center. No hookups and no potable water at the sites: carry in water and a way to treat creek water. Flooding can close low ground.

There is no in-park lodging beyond the two primitive campsites, so the NPS directs visitors to Columbia for a place to sleep and a meal. Columbia, about 18 miles and 30 minutes northwest, is the practical base, with the full range of chain and independent hotels and the restaurants and groceries the park has none of. Hopkins, the nearest town, has limited services and gas. Fill water and pack lunch here before you drive out.

The Lower Boardwalk section drops to the wettest part of the floodplain, with dark reflective water and cypress knees directly below the rail. It is the most-photographed stretch of the park, flat and elevated, with no view that requires a climb. It closes for repair or when the floodplain is underwater, so check Current Conditions before you count on it.

The park's primary walk and the only fully stroller-passable route, an elevated boardwalk through bald cypress and tupelo with no stairs. The current NPS figure is 2.6 miles. Walk it counterclockwise from the visitor center; warped boards and gaps catch small front wheels, so a carrier beats an umbrella stroller. It closes when the floodplain floods.

A 4.5-mile loop per NPS that swings past Weston Lake, an oxbow cut off from a former bend of Cedar Creek. Off the boardwalk the surface turns to dirt and can be muddy or flooded, which is the difference from the easy loop. This is the payoff hike for grade-school kids who have outgrown the boardwalk. Carry insect repellent: away from the boardwalk the mosquitoes are worse.

A 1.8-mile loop per NPS that runs off the boardwalk to the Bluff primitive campsite on slightly higher pine ground. The shortest off-boardwalk loop in the park, on a dirt surface, good for a first taste of dirt-trail floodplain with younger kids before committing to the longer Weston Lake Loop.

The half-day Bannister's Bridge to Cedar Creek Landing section is calm enough for a first tandem canoe outing with one strong adult; the lower sections have downed trees that require lifting the boat over. There are no rentals in the park, so arrange a boat in Columbia through River Runner Outdoor Center or Adventure Carolina. Children's PFDs are required, and the tannin-dark water hides submerged logs. Best in fall, winter, and early spring; worst in high-summer mosquito season.