Boardwalk and Weston Lake Figure Eight Loop, Congaree National Park, SC

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/23/2024	5.4 miles	3 hours 23 minutes	38'	1.8 mph	165 miles

Parking: 

• Congaree National Park Visitor Center

Map:

• CONG-Trail-Guide-2.pdf (nps.gov)

Directions:

• This is a figure 8 hike. Take the boardwalk trail from the visitor center. Where the boardwalk splits, stay right to take the boardwalk counterclockwise. At Weston Lake, turn right onto the Weston Lake Trail. At the next intersection keep right. Turn right on the Sims Trail. Turn right on the boardwalk. At Weston Lake, continue following the boardwalk. At the northwest corner of the boardwalk loop, turn right to return back to the visitor center.  

Tara, Dian, and I joined up for a long weekend at Congaree National Park in South Carolina. We had reservations for camping at the park. We did end up staying in a hotel on Friday night, because the forecast was for an inch of rain overnight. But by the time we headed into the park on Saturday morning, the rain had stopped. We went out for our first hike in the morning. The most commonly walked area in the park is their long boardwalk. It was very, very slick after the rain, so we walked carefully. The park is known for its large old growth trees such as cypress and loblolly pines. The boardwalk is over a swamp - which floods frequently. One of the park volunteers said the boardwalk was under 2 feet of water a couple of weeks ago. It's something to be aware of if visiting - check on the flooding and mosquito conditions before you go. There is also canoeing and kayaking withing the park, but with outside outfitters. 

The trees all had lines on them, so you could tell how high the flooding often is.

We read there are a few alligators in the park, but we didn't see any. 

Loblolly pine