Firely Trail, Congaree National Park

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
3/23/2024	2.3 miles	1 hour 8 minutes	16'	2.1 mph	167.3 miles

Parking: 

• Congaree National Park Visitor Center

Map:

• CONG-Trail-Guide-2.pdf (nps.gov)

Directions:

• Take the trail from the right side of the Longleaf Campground parking lot. Keep straight/left at the first 2 intersections. Pass Bluff Mountain Campground, a backcountry camping area. Turn right onto the boardwalk. Turn right off the boardwalk to go on the Firefly Trail. Follow the Firefly Trail past the visitor center and cross the park road. Turn left on a trail to return back to the Longleaf Campground. 

After our morning hike, we set up our tents at the Longleaf Campground within the park. Parking is not next to the campsites, so we had to carry our gear a short ways in. The campsite has vault toilets and cell phone chargers, but no water source. A water bottle filler and a bathroom with toilets and sinks (with warm water!) is available 24/7 at the visitor center, a short drive away. The campsite was full at night - there were some partying guys close to the parking lot, but where we were, we were surrounded by quiet campers. Even the partying guys luckily didn't stay up too late. This national park does allow dogs, and we did see some happy dogs in the campground. We were happy to see that the campsites are nicely spread apart, so you aren't on top of your neighbors. Each campsite has a picnic table, which felt like a luxury. 

In the afternoon, we did a short hike from the campground. We hiked in a less swampy section of the park. We hiked on the Firefly Trail. Congaree is one of the few places where you can see synchronous fireflies. So, if you have been unsuccessful in the Smokies lottery, it's one more place to try.

 

Campground parking lot

Trail from campground.

Signs of a controlled burn.