Parking
Park at Harry Hampton Visitor Center. Firefly Trail begins behind the building and reaches the Sims/Boardwalk junction in about a quarter mile. Restrooms and picnic tables are at the Visitor Center, not along the trail.
Overview
About Sims Trail
Why go
- Wide, fairly smooth gravel makes for easy walking.
- The hunt-club clearing gives the route a specific conservation story.
Heads up
- Published totals differ; the Visitor Center approach and return mileage are not consistent across sources.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Congaree map
Full mapElevation96–108 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Congaree alerts
- CautionDowned trees on Cedar Creek require portagesMentions Cedar Creek, referenced in this guideExpect significant portages on Cedar Creek between Bannister’s Bridge and South Cedar Creek because trees are down across the creek; the number of portages depends on water levels.Official details
- CautionBackcountry trails may be difficult to followUse GPS on the Oakridge, Boggy Gut, and Kingsnake backcountry trails because they may be difficult to follow.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Congaree Tour Guide
Your drive to Sims Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Harry Hampton Visitor Center and Boardwalk0:00 / 0:36
“You're approaching the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, where exhibits introduce the forest and the people who lived and worked here. Look for the wooden mosquito meter before heading out.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Congaree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Longleaf and Bluff Campgrounds
- A Plant That Lives in the Air
- The Pine That Starts as Grass
- What the Flood Leaves Behind
- 13 audio storiesacross Congaree’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Alligator, Wild Boar, Barred Owl, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 9 trails, 14 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sims Trail
Pick it for an easy forest walkSims Trail is an easy out-and-back along a broad, fairly smooth gravel road through Congaree’s…
Sims Trail is an easy out-and-back along a broad, fairly smooth gravel road through Congaree’s floodplain forest. The park lists 3.2 miles round trip from Harry Hampton Visitor Center. Another route account measures the Sims road at 1.1 miles one way, plus a quarter-mile Firefly approach; a state listing gives a shorter 1.3-mile outing. Those totals do not match exactly. I’d use the park’s 3.2-mile visitor-center figure for planning and allow about 1½ hours.
Follow the old road to Cedar CreekFrom the back of the Visitor Center, follow Firefly Trail to the Boardwalk junction and the…
From the back of the Visitor Center, follow Firefly Trail to the Boardwalk junction and the marked Sims gap. The wide gravel road continues south, crossing the Boardwalk twice and passing through low, wet forest. A small crossing at Tennessee Gut comes before the Weston Lake junction and its old clearing. Continue over the Cedar Creek footbridge to the Oakridge junction, then turn around. The short Wise Lake spur is optional; its extra distance is not stated clearly, so check the map before adding it.
The clearing has a storySims follows an old hunting-club road used by conservationist Harry Hampton.
Sims follows an old hunting-club road used by conservationist Harry Hampton. The clearing at the Weston Lake junction was a club site where Hampton belonged. He wrote about the outdoors for The State and helped build support for protecting the old-growth floodplain; Congaree became a national monument in 1976.
A lake-side detourWise Lake is a shallow oxbow left by an old bend in the Congaree River.
Wise Lake is a shallow oxbow left by an old bend in the Congaree River. Cypress knees rise around its muddy edge, and their purpose is still debated. The main Sims route does not require the spur. Leashed pets are allowed on park trails, with a leash no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Congaree
146 sightingsAlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
242 sightingsWild BoarMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
291 sightingsBarred OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
248 sightingsCottonmouthMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
13 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.
