Congaree National Park

Join Volunteer Park Naturalist John Cely for a guided hike to some of the park's big trees!

* Things To Know *

• All participants must have a reservation in order to join the guided hike. This guided hike is limited to a maximum of 25 participants

• This hike will last approximately 3 hours. Participants should wear or bring clothing that is appropriate for the day's forecasted conditions and temperature.
• This hike goes off trail and covers up to 5 miles total.

Join volunteer park naturalist for a guided hike on the park's boardwalk trail to learn about the amazing flora and fauna that calls Congaree National Park home!

* Things To Know *

• All participants must have a reservation in order to join the guided hike. This guided hike is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.

• During the guided walk, participants should maintain social distance (6 feet minimum) from those who are not a part of the group they arrived at the park with.
• This hike will last approximately 2 hours. Participants should wear or bring clothing that is appropriate for the day's forecasted conditions and temperature.

Join a park ranger for a free tour of the famous Boardwalk Trail where you'll learn about the unique features of our floodplain forest, the plants and animals that inhabit it, and the people who once called it home. 

Distance: ~2.5 miles

What to bring: Clothing layers, comfortable walking shoes, water, and binoculars (if you have them)

Meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center Breezeway. This program is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather.

Service animals are welcome on this tour, no pets, please.

Please join us for a forest bathing walk as part of our Forest Wellness Program. We will open our senses to the trees & ecosystem, but please leave your rubber ducky at home (think experiential not literal, like sunbathing). Beginning at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, our trip length will be less than 2 miles on easy terrain, with some root obstructions and un-level ground. Stairs can be avoided on request.

Please bring:

• Water
• Weather appropriate clothing
• For portions of our time together, we will be stationary for up to 25 minutes at a time. If you prefer to not stand or sit on the forest floor, please bring a towel, mat, stool, or light chair.

Forest bathing originates in Japan, where it emerged as part of a national health program in the 1980s. Your guide is currently undergoing training by the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides. Forest bathing is currently being researched by medical schools in Japan and around the world for its beneficial physiological and psychological effects (e.g., DOI:10.3390/ijerph14080851), but this session should not be considered as medical practice and your guide is not a medical practitioner.

Please join us for our FREE Forest Wellness Program! Relieve the stresses of your everyday life by taking the time to reconnect with nature and your inner forest. Join a certified Yoga instructor and our Volunteers for a 2 mile (round trip) guided walk and Yoga class amidst the tallest loblolly pine trees in South Carolina.

Please meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. All you need to participate is yourself, a water bottle, tennis shoes, and comfortable clothing. In the event of inclement weather (rain, extreme cold, etc.) this event will be cancelled. 

Pets are not permitted on this program, service animals are welcome.

For questions or more information please call 803-776-4396 or send us an email.

Yoga is a system of techniques and guidance for living. One goal or limb of yoga is to make the body active through postures and breathing in order to calm the mind.

Health benefits of exercise in nature: • Boosted immune system • Reduced blood pressure • Reduced stress• Improved mood• Increased ability to focus • Increased energy level

Tour meets in the breezeway just outside the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, near the start of the Boardwalk Trail. 

Congaree National Park is best known for preserving the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States - a forest that thrives on floods. However, there is a small sliver of the park dominated by an entirely different kind of forest - a forest that instead thrives on fire. 

Join a ranger on a guided hike through the upland pine forest of Congaree to learn about pine ecosystems and how fire may be used as a tool. 

The tour will cover approximately 1.8 miles. It will begin and end at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center.

Participants should bring with them water and appropriate footwear. 

This tour is weather dependent, and may canceled in the event of heavy rain and/or thunderstorms. 

Please check all alerts on nps.gov/cong prior to arrival for more information. 

Please join us for our FREE Forest Wellness Program! Relieve the stresses of your everyday life by taking the time to reconnect with nature and your inner forest. Join a certified Yoga instructor and our Volunteers for a 2 mile (round trip) guided walk and Yoga class amidst the tallest loblolly pine trees in South Carolina.

Please meet at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. All you need to participate is yourself, a water bottle, tennis shoes, and comfortable clothing. In the event of inclement weather (rain, extreme cold, etc.) this event will be cancelled. 

Pets are not permitted on this program, service animals are welcome.

For questions or more information please call 803-776-4396 or send us an email.

Yoga is a system of techniques and guidance for living. One goal or limb of yoga is to make the body active through postures and breathing in order to calm the mind.

Health benefits of exercise in nature: • Boosted immune system • Reduced blood pressure • Reduced stress• Improved mood• Increased ability to focus • Increased energy level

Tour meets in the breezeway just outside the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, near the start of the Boardwalk Trail. 

Congaree National Park is best known for preserving the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States - a forest that thrives on floods. However, there is a small sliver of the park dominated by an entirely different kind of forest - a forest that instead thrives on fire. 

Join a ranger on a guided hike through the upland pine forest of Congaree to learn about pine ecosystems and how fire may be used as a tool. 

The tour will cover approximately 1.8 miles. It will begin and end at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center.

Participants should bring with them water and appropriate footwear. 

This tour is weather dependent, and may canceled in the event of heavy rain and/or thunderstorms. 

Please check all alerts on nps.gov/cong prior to arrival for more information. 

Please join us for a forest bathing walk as part of our Forest Wellness Program. We will open our senses to the trees & ecosystem, but please leave your rubber ducky at home (think experiential not literal, like sunbathing). Beginning at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, our trip length will be less than 2 miles on easy terrain, with some root obstructions and un-level ground. Stairs can be avoided on request.

Please bring:

• Water
• Weather appropriate clothing
• For portions of our time together, we will be stationary for up to 25 minutes at a time. If you prefer to not stand or sit on the forest floor, please bring a towel, mat, stool, or light chair.

Forest bathing originates in Japan, where it emerged as part of a national health program in the 1980s. Your guide is currently undergoing training by the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides. Forest bathing is currently being researched by medical schools in Japan and around the world for its beneficial physiological and psychological effects (e.g., DOI:10.3390/ijerph14080851), but this session should not be considered as medical practice and your guide is not a medical practitioner.

Tour meets in the breezeway just outside the Harry Hampton Visitor Center, near the start of the Boardwalk Trail. 

Congaree National Park is best known for preserving the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States - a forest that thrives on floods. However, there is a small sliver of the park dominated by an entirely different kind of forest - a forest that instead thrives on fire. 

Join a ranger on a guided hike through the upland pine forest of Congaree to learn about pine ecosystems and how fire may be used as a tool. 

The tour will cover approximately 1.8 miles. It will begin and end at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center.

Participants should bring with them water and appropriate footwear. 

This tour is weather dependent, and may canceled in the event of heavy rain and/or thunderstorms. 

Please check all alerts on nps.gov/cong prior to arrival for more information.