Congaree National Park - Oakridge Trail - Member Hike

Hike Name: Congaree National Park - Oakridge Trail
Country: United States
State: South Carolina
Nearby Town: Hopkins / Gadsden
Rating: 4 stars
Directions: From Interstate 77, Exit 5

At Exit 5 turn off onto SC Hwy 48 East (Bluff Rd.), following the brown and white Congaree National Park directional signs. Travel southeast approximately fourteen miles on SC Hwy 48 (Bluff Rd.) toward Gadsden and turn right onto Mt. View Rd. Follow Mt. View Rd. for 0.8 miles. Turn right onto Old Bluff Rd. and travel 0.6 miles. At the large park entrance sign, turn left onto the park entrance road and proceed one mile to the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. Parking lots will be on the right.
Total Hike Distance: 8.00 miles
Hike Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Permit Required: No
Hike Type: Roundtrip, Loop Hike
Hike Starts/Ends: Visitors Center
Trails Used: Bluff, Sims and Oakridge
Backcountry Campsites: No
Backcountry Water Sources: Streams, Lakes
Management: National Park Service
Contact Information: Unknown
Best Season:
Users: Hikers, Dogs
Road Conditions: Secondary Paved Roads
Hike Summary: If you are hiking with a dog, you will need to avoid the boardwalks. Access to all of the trails are available via the Sims trail. Leaving the visitors center (rear of the building) use the stairs marked Pet Access. After several yards, you will see a Bluff Trail sign. Taking the T to the left takes you directly to the Sims Trail, keeping you fairly parallel with the boardwalk. Going to the right will loop you through the entire Bluff trail, which takes you near the camping areas. The Bluff Trail is flat and winds through a pine forest.

Once you hit the Sims Trail, follow it south to the junction of the other trails. Oakridge Trail is a nice loop through some amazing woods. Huge cypress and pine trees line the way as you cross over a number of streams and creeks.

We went in December, but it is easy to see that this place would be a haven for hungry mosquitoes during the warmer months.

Hiker:

Robert

500 points


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