Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

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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.

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Length:  3.5 miles (one way)
Time:  2 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Oakridge Trail Map (click to enlarge)

The Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park is a C-shaped trail with its western end at the intersection with the Sims Trail and its eastern end at the southeastern corner of the Weston Lake Trail. I started my hike at the Sims Trail intersection. To get there, I first had to hike the Firefly Trail from the Harry Hampton Visitor Center for a quarter mile to the Sims Trail, then the Sims Trail for another 1.1 mile. Round trip, this adds nearly 3 miles to the 3.5-mile hike on the Oakridge Trail.

Start of the Oakridge Trail at the intersection with the Sims Trail, Congaree National Park

The National Park Service rates trails at Congaree National Park as EASY, MODERATE, and DIFFICULT. However, these ratings have nothing to do with how much huffing and puffing you’ll be doing, which is typically how trail difficulty is rated. All of the trails in the park cover flat terrain and are easy to hike, cardovascular-wise. What the National Park Service is referring to is how difficult it is to navigate the trails due to downed trees, mud holes, and other obstacles. EASY means the trail is well maintained while DIFFICULT means there may be a lot of obstacles, and you’ll need more navigational sense to find your way. The Oakridge Trail gets a DIFFICULT rating, but I didn’t find it any more difficult than the other trails in the park, at least not during the dry season. Yeah, there are some trees down and some overgrown sections, but that’s just part of hiking.

When hiking within the park, if you don’t have a GPS unit, be sure to at least bring a trail map (available in the Visitor Center) and be on the lookout for the blazes, which are markers on trees that serve as Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs. At Congaree National Park, blazes are white placards with numbers on them that correspond to the various trails. The Oakridge Trail is #4. If you get lost, look around for a blaze. For the most part, the trails at Congaree are well marked.

#4 blaze marks the route of the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

I hiked the Oakridge Trail in mid-October and did not have a big problem with mosquitoes. There were a few patches of them here and there, which seemed odd to me since the environment never changed much. I could be in one spot and they’d find me as soon as I stopped to take a photo, yet fifty feet farther down the trail there wouldn’t be a single one of them. The fall, winter, and spring are great times to visit Congaree National Park, but I can guarantee you misery if you do it from June through September.

The intersection of the Sims and Oakridge trails is on the south side of a bridge over Cedar Creek. There is also a short detour to Wise Lake. It’s not the most interesting or picturesque of lakes, but since it is so close you might want to take a few minutes to check it out. There are cypress trees along the path, and you can see the roots, called knees, sticking out of the earth. Keep in mind that the knees are usually sticking out of the water, but the side trail was dry when I did the hike.

Detour to Wise Lake at the intersection of the Sims and Oakridge trails, Congaree National Park

Wise Lake in Congaree National Park

Unlike the Sims Trail, which is a wide dirt road, the Oakridge Trail is a narrow, traditional hiking trail with dozens and dozens of twists and turns, like walking along a moving snake. There is hardly a straightaway worth mentioning. While most of the trail is well maintained, it is a little overgrown at the start, so brushing up against vegetation where ticks like to hide is inevitable. For the record, I did not get any on me anywhere in Congaree National Park, and I hiked every trail during my mid-October visit. However, they are a known nuisance, so be sure to check yourself for the pests on a regular basis.

Typical terrain on the Oakridge Trail near Wise Lake, Congaree National Park

The west side of the Oakridge Trail passes through a swampy area filled with cypress trees, a tree similar to tupelo trees that are also found in the park. Both grow in waterlogged soil and are characterized by swollen bases, which give the trees a broader footprint needed to stabilize them in the wet soil. To tell the two apart, look at the bases. Tupelos are smooth while the cypress bases are rough looking, as if somebody took a pilar of clay and raked their fingers down it. And of course the cypress trees are also identifiable by their knees that stick out of the water like straws or periscopes near the base of the trees.

Cypress trees in a swampy area on the west side of the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

There are some mighty big trees in Congaree National Park, one of which had fallen across the trail. I actually had to crawl under it to continue the hike. Of course, it may well be cleared by the time you visit, but this is the sort of thing that garners a Difficult rating from the National Park Service.

Large tree along the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

There are two footbridges on the first half mile of the trail, both spanning the Hammond Gut, a narrow waterway that connects to Wise Lake. Many of the footbridges in Congaree National Park are identified by a letter on the trail map. The first bridge over the gut is E and the second, F.

Bridge F on the Oakridge Trail spans the Hammond Gut, Congaree National Park

View of the Hammond Gut from Bridge F on the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

Just past Bridge F is the intersection with the River Trail, the only trail in the park when I visited that was truly difficult by National Park Service standards. The intersection comes roughly a half mile from the start of the Oakridge Trail. Stay left to continue on the Oakridge Trail, which now runs right alongside the Hammond Gut.

The Oakridge Trail follows Hammond Gut on the east side of Bridge F, Congaree National Park

Between the River Trail intersection and the next identified bridge, G, the Oakridge Trail runs for 1.1 mile, crossing two unnamed bridges along the way. This section of trail is an easy hike, and I was constantly joking to myself just how DIFFICULT it was. My friend who was hiking with me did bring up a point that if the trail were muddy, it would certainly be difficult. Much of the southern end of the park is often underwater from late winter through early spring, and when the water recedes to the point where hiking is once again possible, yes, it could be quite muddy. But if you are hiking the trail in the dry season, other than some narrow sections and perhaps a downed tree to get around, this is like walking around the neighborhood. And if there are no bugs, it is very enjoyable hiking.

Easy hiking terrain on the Oakridge Trail between Bridge F and G, Congaree National Park

Downed trees and some unruly landscaping earn Congaree National Park’s Oakridge Trail a Difficult rating by the National Park Service

Bridge G spans the Boggy Gut, another small channel that eventually connects to Wise Lake. If you are contemplating kayaking or canoeing in Congaree National Park, don’t be alarmed. These guts are not the bodies of water anyone paddles on.

Bridge G on the Oakridge Trail spans Boggy Gut, Congaree National Park

Boggy Gut in Congaree National Park is filled with downed trees

The next destination is Bridge H, 1.4 miles away. The Oakridge Trail follows the Boggy Gut and another narrow gut for most of the way, but other than that, the terrain remains the same.

Oakridge Trail follows along Boggy Gut east of Bridge G, Congaree National Park

The section of the Oakridge Trail between Bridge G and H is definitely a little harder to follow. The trail gets fainter, there are sections that are overgrown, and there were definitely more trees and other debris down in this area. I actually got confused about a quarter mile from Bridge G where a large tree had fallen across the trail (and this is a tree that had been there for a long time and will not be removed). The trail is faint prior to the tree, but it heads straight towards the middle of it. However, previous hikers have walked around it to the right so often that a secondary trail has formed (which tells you the tree has been there a long time). There is another tree down after that, and by the time I found my way around that one, I was far off the trail, which is how things got confusing. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, follow the tree trunks back, and in most cases you will eventually find the trail.

A downed tree on Congaree National Park’s Oakridge Trail between Bridge G and H

There are other areas where the trail disappears, but I was always able to see from one #4 blaze to the next. Was I walking on a trail to get to the next blaze? Who knows. I just got there and then saw where the trail continued. I do have to admit that despite there being some pretty scenery whenever the Oakridge Trail runs alongside one of the guts, the overgrown sections, fallen trees, and other elements of chaos eventually did begin to wear on me.

Downed trees on the Oakridge Trail between Bridge G and H, Congaree National Park

Fungus grows on a dead tree on the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

View of a water-filled gut on the east side of the Oakridge Trail between Bridge G and H, Congaree National Park

Bridge H comes three miles from the start of the Oakridge Trail. It spans Running Gut, a waterway that connects to Weston Lake near the southeastern corner of the Boardwalk Trail, the most popular trail in Congaree National Park.

Bridge H on the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park spans Running Gut

View of Running Gut from Bridge H on the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

From Bridge H it is a half mile to the end of the Oakridge Trail at the intersection with the Weston Lake Trail. Other than one large downed tree, this segment was definitely much improved.

Typical terrain on the Oakridge Trail between bridges H and I, Congaree National Park

Just prior to Bridge I, the Oakridge Trail intersects with the Kingsnake Trail. It was closed the day I was hiking due to the hunting of wild pigs, an invasive species in the park. The trail was only closed that day, so I was able to hike the Kingsnake Trail before I finished my visit.

Intersection of the Oakridge and Kingsnake trails in Congaree National Park

Bridge I crosses over Cedar Creek, the waterway people do paddle down. Not far beyond it is the intersection with the Weston Lake Trail where my hike on the Oakridge Trail came to an end.

View of Cedar Creek from Bridge I on the Oakridge Trail in Congaree National Park

Intersection of the Oakridge and Weston Lake trails in Congaree National Park

I enjoyed my hike on the Oakridge Trail. It would be nice if the Rangers would come in with a weedwhacker and chain saw, and I’m sure they do on occasion, but I doubt much effort goes into maintaining trails that very, very few visitors to the park use (I saw two other people that day during my backcountry hiking). Don’t let the National Park Service’s DIFFICULT rating deter you from hiking the trail, for other than a few spots where trees were down, the Oakridge Trail was easy to follow.

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