• Introduction
• 1. Arches
• 2. Badlands
• 3. Big Bend
• 4. Biscayne
• 5. Cape Breton Highlands
• 6. Congaree
• 7. Grand Canyon North Rim
• 8. Gwaii Haanas
• 9. Hawaii Volcanoes
• 10. Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Congaree

Tree-huggers rejoiced at the founding of Congaree National Park, a 22,200-acre terrain that earned its national stripes as recently as 2003. Located about 20 miles from Columbia, South Carolina, this recent newcomer preserves the largest tract of old-growth floodplain forest in the whole of North America – giant hardwoods, lofty pines, and bald cypresses are just some of the roughly 75 species of ancient trees that form one of the world’s highest natural canopies here. Not surprisingly, this tranquil wilderness provides a sanctuary for hundreds of species of plants and wildlife – an incredible diversity that’s also earned the park due rank as an International Biosphere Reserve. Keep your eyes peeled for eight woodpecker species, deer, barred owls, river otters, and more, from your campsite, hiking trail, or canoe.

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