Congaree National Park With Dogs

Located in central South Carolina, Congaree National Park is a smaller park which is primarily focused on preserving an old growth bottomland hardwood forest. This is the largest intact forest of its kind in the United States. Though it may not have some of the flashy attractions that you’ll find in the big name parks, Congaree National Park is a great place to visit with dogs. The entire park is dog friendly and you can take your four-legged friends along on all the trails!

Boardwalk Loop

The most popular attraction at the park is the Boardwalk Loop. This is an elevated wooden walkway that takes you on a 2.4 mile loop through the wetland forest. It was fascinating to learn more about the special trees that grow here and the diverse ecosystem that exists in the park. The boardwalk offers a self-guided tour with a brochure that provides information about points of interest along the way. The boardwalk is a great way to see Congaree National Park with your dogs while keeping them clean and elevated off the ground!

Attendance

The other nice part about visiting Congaree National Park with your dogs is that it’s not very crowded. 2021 was the first year that it got over 200,000 visitors (compared to almost 13 million in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). We were there in the morning on a weekday and we pretty much had the park and the Boardwalk Loop to ourselves!

B.A.R.K.

More information about pet safety at Congaree National Park can be found here. Always make sure to check current conditions and plan ahead for what your dogs may need.

Check out our dog-friendly travel posts for more trip ideas and tips.