Congaree Campground, Congaree National Park, SC

Congaree Campground is part of Congaree National Park in South Carolina (33 min south of Columbia, SC) with an elevation of 123 feet. There are a total of 20 campsites which are all tent-only sites. The campground is open all year. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Fees range from $5.00 to $20.00. Activities include boating, fishing, hiking trails, floating sports.
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Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (98)

4.3 out of 5

5 star
67%
4 star
15%
3 star
6%
2 star
3%
1 star
8%
@BennettD597636 · Camped on Dec 18, 2022 at Campsite #LIS1
Awesome campsite, beautiful river bottom land to explore! Not tons of traffic either!
@JamesT8733204 · Camped on Dec 17, 2022 at Campsite #BIS1
I had an absolutely wonderful Holiday weekend at Bluff Campground. Thanks to the cold weather I had the entire campground to myself. The park is gorgeous and pieceful and the volunteers and Ranger were very nice. P.s... To Ranger John. I would love to volunteer on weekends and holidays!!!!
@MichaelL540355 · Camped on Dec 16, 2022 at Campsite #LIS1
Well-marked campsites. The pit toilet / outhouse was very clean and surprisingly accessible. Extremely convenient location close to the visitor center.
@RyanS4713424 · Camped on Dec 12, 2022 at Campsite #LIS1
Campground was surprisingly nice, not to open, well kept grounds, big tent pads, loads of privacy, and beautiful.
@BillS4028348 · Camped on Dec 9, 2022 at Campsite #LGS3
Hiking the backcountry is always different depending on how the weather has been and it's good for our Scouts to realize that nature has her own agenda. We didn't get everywhere we wanted to go but we did put in about 10 miles and are looking forward to our next visit there. Keep it wild!
@williamT449040 · Camped on Nov 26, 2022 at Campsite #LIS7
It was very busy the day I arrived, but this did not phase the staff. They were very helpful at getting me started on some hiking. Excellent well marked trails, provided me with a very good map. Thank you. Lots of good options for hiking and beauty around each bend. I would go back and plan to spend more time exploring. Camping at Congaree is great, sites are thoughtfully set into the woods. Bathrooms are at the parking lot. Obtaining h20 is a bit awkward, being back at the visitor center, but doable with some pre-planning. Thank you for all you do to preserve such a lovely area of the south east.
@KristenK268856 · Camped on Nov 25, 2022 at Campsite #LIS3
The camping area was great! Plenty of flat space for tents and within walking distance of our cars. The park itself was well-kept and the rangers friendly. The trees and wildlife were more impressive than I imagined.
@KaciP2960850 · Camped on Nov 23, 2022 at Campsite #LIS4
I do not recommend this campground to solo travelers. And if you’re traveling with others I would still use extreme caution. Congaree National Park doesn’t have any resident rangers or staff. Therefore, there is not 24/7 park security surveillance. The campground is not attended by a ranger and it’s not gated - anyone can pull up to it. Nobody comes by to check reservations either. If there’s an issue there’s no host/attendant to report to either. Prior to my visit, I was told I couldn’t sleep in my car and I had to sleep at my site in a tent or hammock. During my visit there were multiple people sleeping in cars and vans in the parking lot (probably people who didn’t have a reservation) and no ranger came by to stop that. I felt absolutely UNSAFE the one night I camped here. All night long I heard cars come and go and doors slamming. I was supposed to stay for 3 nights, but after the first one I left.
@RichardR254074 · Camped on Nov 22, 2022 at Campsite #LIS2
Campground was not full, so it was pretty quiet. Would like to have a water spigot available. Getting water at the visitor center and bringing it over was a pain. Trails near campground were well marked.
@SydneyH8901746 · Camped on Nov 11, 2022 at Campsite #LIS8
What a peaceful ground! Great sights with great trails. My only suggestion is I wish the park sold firewood, we couldn't find any at the local places that were recommended they were all sold out and it was a cold November night, we noticed others also didn't have fires, and assumed they had the same issues we did finding wood.
@VictorS839 · Camped on Jan 14, 2022 at Campsite #LGS1
Did not go due to to bad weather;too late for a refund.
@KathrynB232 · Camped on Jan 12, 2022 at Campsite #LIS6
Highly recommend Congaree for camping.
@JohnB170 · Camped on Jan 8, 2022 at Campsite #LIS5
There is no firewood available at the campground. You must drive 20 miles to Lowes to buy firewood.
@TreyW999 · Camped on Dec 29, 2021 at Campsite #L10
We had a great time camping in Congaree. Site 10 is fantastic and very private. It is a bit of walk so camp lightly or be prepared to carry your stuff a distance. We had a bit of a struggle finding local firewood, but we found the last cords at a store about 10 minutes down the road from the park. I would recommend picking up USDA certified wherever you can find it otherwise risk not enjoying a fire. It’s too wet in the park to rely on downed wood. You’ll really enjoy your experience!
@LauraP725 · Camped on Dec 28, 2021 at Campsite #LIS7
Well maintained boardwalks provide an elevated and accessible adventure through the Tupelo and Cypress forest/swamp. We also took a guided kayaking tour down Cedar Creek with Carolina Outdoor Adventures which was a real treat. Campsites were clean with firewood nearby. We did see fox squirrels and river snakes as well as magnificent birds. My son caught a crappy, which we roasted and enjoyed and our dog enjoyed the trails and made a few well behaved canine buddies:)
@CaseyG995 · Camped on Dec 19, 2021 at Campsite #BIS4
This park is a real gem. I visited in December with my wife and our 11 year old daughter. We camped in the backcountry for 4 days and the weather was a cool, ranging from 35 degrees at night to 45 degrees during the day. I would not want to push my luck with the mosquitos camping during the summer months. Flooding was not an issue for us fortunately, but I did make sure we camped in the higher elevation pine flat woods sections of the park that were more or less out of the flood plain as the lower sections of the park are reputed to flood without warning. Most of the trails were easily accessible and the whole boardwalk was above water. There was a lot to see. One of the neatest things about Congaree is the variety of tree species that you find all living in one area. It is not a climax forest dominated by one ore two mature tree species. Here mature trees of many varieties all share the same location. We were really excited to see a 167ft loblolly pine along the boardwalk, growing right along with cypress and water Tupelo. Everyone had a wonderful time.
@MaryritaM283 · Camped on Dec 10, 2021 at Campsite #LIS3
The visitor center staff are very helpful — be sure to check in there!
@LandonM294 · Camped on Dec 4, 2021 at Campsite #LIS1
I stayed at individual campsite one for one night, and then spent the day exploring the park with my dog. There are miles and miles of beautiful trails and the whole park is dog friendly! I highly recommend it’s very accessible and easy for people of all fitness levels, and even though the camping sites are walk in, it is a very short walk from the parking lot very easy to bring your gear in with nice picnic tables fire rings and set up tent pads. Overall a great experience!
@17411 · Camped on Dec 1, 2021 at Campsite #LIS2
I've never seen the water levels so low. This detracted from the swamp experience, but we were able to walk the trails without getting our feet muddy.
@JulieP883 · Camped on Nov 26, 2021 at Campsite #BIS6
This is the second time in three months that I’ve arrived to find someone set up in my campsite. The first time, the couple moved. This time I took a different site that the group claimed they had reserved. The group partied loudly until 4 am. There’s absolutely nothing we can do when this happens except leave a voicemail for a ranger that they will get the next day. I’ve been coming to Congaree for 30 years. Rangers never check the campsites so apparently people do whatever they want nowadays.
@TracyS220 · Camped on Nov 20, 2021 at Campsite #LGS3
The camp sites are very nice. They are a good distance away from each other for privacy. There is ample room to set up tents. The "kitchen" area has a fire ring and picnic tables and was very comfortable. Note: you will have to search for tinder and purchase approved firewood - you cannot bring your own. The only downside: noisy campers. While kids can be difficult to keep quiet, I really do expect that a parent is not going to let a small child "scream it out" for 2 hours in the middle of the night. :-/ The trails are well marked and the reflective blazes were super helpful when we were hiking at night. I do recommend a night hike on the board walk - super beautiful.
@MarcusB655 · Camped on Nov 19, 2021 at Campsite #BIS5
I love this park. It is well maintained and beautiful.
@RebeccaC266 · Camped on Nov 16, 2021 at Campsite #BIS6
The park was really neat. We saw a lot of owls and wilderness. The facilities were clean and well maintained. It was also very easy to get a tent site and easy to navigate the park.
@KeithP357 · Camped on Nov 16, 2021 at Campsite #BIS1
Beautiful quiet campground.
@ShannonM162 · Camped on Nov 12, 2021 at Campsite #LIS9
We loved our stay! We’d love to see the camping area prioritized with maybe showers to make a longer stay possible. Also the visitor’s center was very child centered and did not offer much for adult visitors.

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