Congaree National Park
| Congaree National Park | |
|---|---|
Boardwalk passes through old growth forest of bald cypress and water tupelo | |
| Location | Richland County, South Carolina, United States |
| Nearest city | Eastover, South Carolina (town) |
| Coordinates | 33°47′0″N 80°47′0″W / 33.78333°N 80.78333°W |
| Area | 26,692.6 acres (108.021 km2) |
| Max. elevation | 140 feet (43 m) |
| Min. elevation | 80 feet (24 m) |
| Established | November 10, 2003 |
| Visitors | 145,929 (in 2018) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | nps |
| Designated | 2 February 2012 |
| Reference no. | 2030 |
| Designated | May 1974 |
Congaree National Park is a 26,692.6-acre (41.7 sq mi; 108.0 km2) national park of the United States in central South Carolina, 18 miles southeast of the state capital, Columbia. The park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The lush trees growing in its floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the eastern United States, forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. The Congaree River flows through the park. About 15,000 acres (23.4 sq mi; 60.7 km2) are designated as a wilderness area.
The park received its official designation in 2003 as the culmination of a grassroots campaign that began in 1969. With 145,929 visitors in 2018, it ranks as the United States' 10th-least visited national park, just behind Nevada's Great Basin National Park.