#7 of 9 sights in Congaree
Sight · Congaree National Park
The entrance marker comes a mile before the visitor center.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Congaree Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Congaree National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Longleaf and Bluff Campgrounds“You're nearing Longleaf Campground, the practical tent-camping option if you want a short walk with your gear. Reserve ahead; vehicles stay in the parking lot, and the farthest sites are about a hundred yards away.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from Congaree National Park Sign in the Parkwolf Congaree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Congaree National Park's brown entrance sign stands on the right side of Old Bluff Road, about 4.5 miles after the turn from SC 48/Bluff Road. It marks the park entrance; Harry Hampton Visitor Center is another mile ahead.
This is a drive-by arrival marker, not a trail or staffed stop. The visitor directions don't identify a designated pull-off or photo space beside the sign, so don't count on being able to stop here. If you can't pull fully off where stopping is safe and permitted, continue to the visitor center.
For a photo, keep some of the wooded junction around the brown sign; a wider view shows where the entrance road meets Old Bluff Road. Don't stop in the lane or on an unsafe shoulder.
Wildlife
146 sightingsAlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
237 sightingsWild BoarMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
289 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
246 sightingsCottonmouthMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
12 sightingsWood StorkMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
61 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Congaree. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyLongleaf Trail0.6 mi · 20 min · 0.5 mi awayA short forest link from Longleaf Campground to the Boardwalk.
EasyBoardwalk Trail2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 1 mi awayLevel boardwalk, old-growth trees, and a Weston Lake overlook.
ModerateWeston Lake Trail4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayA 4.5-mile loop through old growth to Weston Lake.
EasyFirefly Trail1.8 mi · 1 hr · 1 mi awayAn easy woodland walk to Congaree's spring firefly display.
ChallengingOakridge Trail7.1 mi · 4.5 hr · 1 mi awayOld-growth oaks and flooded guts make this a navigation-first hike.
EasySims Trail3.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1 mi awayA level old road to a creek bridge and park history.
ChallengingKingsnake Trail7.4 mi · 4 hr · 2.9 mi awayA flat, long floodplain walk with sloughs, bridges, and tricky wayfinding.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayLongleaf CampgroundWalk-in tent sites put you close to Congaree’s trails.
Visitor center · 1 mi awayHarry Hampton Visitor CenterMaps, exhibits, and a film make this a smart first stop.
Picnic area · 1 mi awayCongaree Picnic ShelterA group picnic pavilion with grills near the Boardwalk Trail.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayBluff CampgroundA six-site hike-in camp tucked among Congaree’s upland trees.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayMoonshine Still (Boardwalk Stop 15)A distant glimpse of an iron still from Prohibition.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayRichland County PineA former state champion with a 1750s backstory.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayWeston Lake OverlookLook for turtles beside this 2,000-year-old oxbow lake.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayBannister Bridge Canoe LandingA shady put-in, with a 130-yard rooty carry to the creek.Parkwolf’s Congaree ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
