Congaree National Park is unlike any other place I’ve hiked. It’s not about dramatic mountain peaks or endless ridgelines. Instead, it’s a park defined by stillness, trees, and water — a swampy lowland forest filled with some of the tallest trees in the eastern U.S., including towering loblolly pines and bald cypress rising out of standing water. And while Congaree isn’t known as a “hiker’s park,” it still offers a unique kind of beauty for those who slow down and look around
