130: Exploring Congaree National Park: Best Tips + Activities

The swamp lights up like a galaxy, and the forest hums with life you can hear before you see. Congaree surprised us in the best way, and we left with our socks knocked clean off! In this episode, we cover: Where Congaree National Park is, how close it is to Columbia and Charleston, and why it’s still one of the least visited parks When to go, including mosquitoes, water levels, and why late March worked so well for us The boardwalk loop trail from the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, side trails, and what you’ll see along the way How to experience Cedar Creek by kayak or canoe and why we chose a guided tour Congaree’s synchronous fireflies, plus the lottery and timing compared to Great Smoky Mountains National Park Your task for today: Make sure to head over to the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page and let us know if you’re more excited to see the spiders or the snakes. Bonus points if you have been to Congaree and have stories to share! Planning your own Congaree adventure? Master Reservation List: National Park Checklist: Trip Packing List: Don’t miss the full show notes packed with all the links we mentioned so you can plan your adventures like a pro:

You can listen to 130: Exploring Congaree National Park: Best Tips + Activities online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

130: Exploring Congaree National Park: Best Tips + Activities is an episode from Exploring the National Parks by Dirt In My Shoes.

This episode is 51:10 long.

This episode was published on Nov 5, 2025.

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