Congaree may not attract the same number of visitors as Yellowstone or Zion national parks, but when visitors see its trees they never forget them. The park hosts the most significant intact collection of old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern US, a fact that has landed it our number one spot.

The ecosystem is nourished by the Congaree and Wateree Rivers, which create a unique landscape in this natural area of South Carolina. The park is filled with boardwalks so that visitors can walk among the bald cypress trees.

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