Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve - Nature preserve in Cayce - 634 Old State Rd, USA

Really nice suburban hiking 🥾 trail in Columbia Metro area. There is a decent sized dirt parking lot and the trail is reasonably well marked and managed. 2.5 mile loop around the whole trail. The back part of the loop goes through a lowland swampy area which can be flooded and there are signs for Gators. There is a shortcut trail the bypasses this entire section which is marked. Great place to get outside and see some nature!

Fun relatively flat 2.7 mile loop with river and quarry ponds to explore. We brought along a 10 month old, 4 and 6 year old who stayed engaged with all the scenery and terrain. There is a short cut maybe half way along the loop that can be taken if recent rains have flooded out the low lying trail along the pond near the half way point along the trail. This section was quite muddy for us but passable, just barely. A very simple stretch of boardwalk would be very handy in this area. Many of our shoes got submerged and/or coated with mud crossing this stretch. The poison ivey was manageable and passed it's peak on our visit in early October. Little of it was found directly along the trail. I'm sure in the summer it is worse. Mosquitos were minor but around if we stopped for extended time. We had but did not utilize spray. Summer bugs would certainly be terrible with no bug spray. No gators this trip. Again, maybe better chance earlier in the summer. We saw one other couple on the trail. Ranger was patrolling parking lot when we returned to vehicles. Great trail all around and different from the National Park.

The path less traveled. We have been here twice and never seen anyone else there. There is some change in elevation and areas between ponds where the path is eroding. During the summer, there is an abundance of poison ivy and limbs down over the path. No bikes allowed and it closes at dark.

Very neat hike. It’s a 3 mile loop (at least the trail we followed). Not paved, some uneven surfaces. It felt like we were in the middle of a national forest with the convenience of being five minutes from home. We took our dog and she loved it too! I don’t know if I’d bring the dog in warmer months though, looks like the perfect alligator spot.

Great time, the City of Cayce put on a great event. This was the Halloween celebration. My family and I absolutely loved it with the stories and marshmallow roasting.

A really nice hike. Not very crowded. The trail starts from a nice size parking lot and is well marked along the way. We made it almost all the way around before encountering parts of the trail that were underwater. We'll be back!

We love it here! Great birding and hiking. The section through the swamp is usually very wet and has recently been partially underwater (and today completely underwater and impassable), so wear appropriate shoes if you do the full loop. There’s a shortcut that avoids the swamp too. When it’s warm out, don’t forget bug spray, and keep a look out for gators! Since this is a heritage preserve, it is not paved. Timmerman and the river walks are right nearby if you want a paved trail.

This is an absolutely beautiful trail. We saw deer and a pileated woodpecker. I'd recommend wearing good waterproof shoes after a rain because the trail can get muddy and there are exposed roots.