Fork Swamp Trail in Congaree National Park
See the Hiking Trails web page for a trail map, tips on hiking in Congaree National Park, and a link to reviews of the other trails in the park.
Length: .6-mile loop
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
The Fork Swamp Trail is one of two trails that are located outside the main section of Congaree National Park. From the Harry Hampton Visitor Center it is a 25-minute drive. If using Google Maps for directions, search FORK SWAMP TRAILHEAD. There is no trail identification sign at the road, so you must know where to turn. If you get to Bates Bridge over the Congaree River, you went too far. Once you turn off the highway, follow the side road for a quarter mile to where it ends at the trailhead.
For Fork Swamp Trail passes through an area known as Fork Swamp. It is a loop that leads down to Bates Old River, which prior to a flood in 1852 was the Congaree River. The flood caused the Congaree to change course, leaving behind Bates Old River still filled with water (it is technically an oxbow lake). There are no streams that flow in and out of it to provide a continuous supply of fresh water, but it does get fresh water when the Congaree River floods the area. The lake is a popular spot for paddling and fishing, and it is one of the few places within Congaree National Park where you might see an alligator.
The trail is easy to follow, but just in case you do get a little confused, look for the #9 blazes on trees. Blazes are paint splotches or other markers that serve as Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. At Congaree National Park, they are white placards with numbers on them that correspond to the various trails. The Fork Swamp Trail is #9. If you get lost, look around for a blaze. For the most part, the trails at Congaree are well marked.
#9 blaze marks the route of the Fork Swamp Trail in Congaree National Park
The Fork Swamp Trail begins at the three information panels located next to the parking area. One panel discusses the trail itself while the others cover the human history of the area and how Bates Old River formed.
Information panels at the start of the Fork Swamp Trail in Congaree National Park
The loop starts at the parking lot. If you depart on the trailhead straight ahead from the information panels, this will set you off hiking around the loop in the counterclockwise direction on a narrow footpath. To the left of the panels is a trail wide enough to be a road, which it is (or used to be). This sets you off hiking in the clockwise direction. I started the hike on the footpath, and this report is written from that perspective.
In the counterclockwise direction, the Fork Swamp Trail quickly reaches Bates Old River. The terrain is flat and easy to hike, and the trail’s surface is relatively smooth, free of rocks and roots that can trip you up. There are a few briers, but other than that, on a nice day in mid-October when the temperature was low enough to keep the mosquitoes away, it was a very enjoyable hike.
Start of the Fork Swamp Trail in Congaree National Park
After a 100-yard hike from the parking lot, the Fork Swamp Trail reaches Bates Old River and runs right along it for a little over a tenth of a mile before veering away and circling back around to the parking lot.
The Fork Swamp Trail in Congaree National Park runs along Bates Old River
Bates Old River on the east side of Congaree National Park
Once the trail veers from the water, it becomes an old road. In fact, it’s just an extension of the paved road from the highway to the trailhead, only this part is dirt (a mowed grass path).
Typical terrain on the dirt road portion of the Fork Swamp Trail in Congaree National Park
The Fork Swamp Trail eventually comes out on the other side of the information panels. Total distance is .6-mile. The hike took me 20 minutes.
Fork Swamp Trail ends back at the parking lot, Congaree National Park
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Last updated on November 8, 2024
