Congaree National Park
Located just outside Columbia, South Carolina, Congaree National Park protects one of the largest remaining tracts of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. This is a floodplain, shaped by the seasonal rise and fall of the Congaree River, which brings nutrients into the soil and allows the trees here to grow exceptionally tall.
These trees are some of the tallest in the eastern United States. They grow straight and high, creating a canopy.
For years, this land was threatened by logging. In 1976, it was designated a national monument and later re-designated as a national park in 2003. With these designations, this area is now protected and preserved for the future.
Congaree has no sweeping vistas or dramatic elevation changes. The boardwalk trails carry you through the forest, just above the ground. This allowed us to move through a landscape that might otherwise be difficult to access.
The stillness, the reflections in the water and the height of the trees create an expansive space. This park is not what you see in the distance, but what you notice as you move through it.
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