News Release

Congaree National Park Announces Contract for Boardwalk Replacement Project

The low boardwalk has surpassed its intended service life due to regularly being submerged during flood events. The amount of time, labor, and resources needed for needed repairs has continually increased over the past several years.

NPS Photo/James & Jenny Tarpley

News Release Date: October 29, 2024

Contact: Jon Manchester, 803-647-3964

HOPKINS, SC – Congaree National Park officials announced today that the contract has been awarded for the replacement of Boardwalk Loop Trail sections B, D, and F, which have exceeded their intended service life.

“The Boardwalk Trail at Congaree provides an easy, accessible means for park visitors to get out and explore the largest section of old-growth bottomland forest remaining in the country,” said Superintendent Greg Hauburger. “We are excited to announce the next phase in the modernization of this iconic and memorable trail and look forward to sharing it with our visitors upon its completion.” Dependent upon conditions work is projected to begin prior to the 2024 holiday season. Construction is expected to be complete by the summer of 2026.

The Boardwalk Loop Trail has long been an iconic feature of the park, with the first sections built in the 1980’s and over the following decades it has been expanded and updated to become what visitors experience today. The dynamic nature of the floodplain landscape means that the park experiences, on average, 10 flood events per year. The boardwalk is regularly subjected to harsh conditions, particularly the low sections, which are often submerged during even minor flooding events. Over time this has resulted in areas becoming uneven, unstable, and requiring ever-increasing repairs.

To improve and increase access for visitors to experience what makes Congaree a special and unique place, this project will include the following:
 

• Removal of approximately 3,800 linear feet of low boardwalk.
• Installation of helical supports for new, elevated boardwalk.
• Replacement of current low boardwalk with new elevated boardwalk that meets ABA and Universal Design standards.
• Removal and replacement of the current overlook at Weston Lake on the elevated boardwalk.
• Construction of elevated boardwalk to location of new overlook on eastern end of Weston Lake.
• Construction of second overlook on eastern end of Weston Lake.

Upon completion of this project, three-quarters of the Boardwalk Trail will be elevated and above the average water levels the park regularly sees during flood events, meaning greater access to experience and see what makes the park such a dynamic place. The additional overlook will reestablish one previously located on the eastern end of Weston Lake and provide visitors a different vantage point of this oxbow lake and wildlife like turtles, alligators, and wading birds that live there.