All 3 in 3 days here: ~50%
Congaree National Park
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 504 spp. recorded
Congaree National Park is a protected wetland in central South Carolina, featuring a landscape of towering bottomland hardwood trees and winding creeks. Visitors walk through lush floodplain forests along elevated boardwalks and dirt trails that weave past ancient cypress and tupelo trees.
33.794° N 80.789° W
🦜 Nature
257 Species sighted
39,757 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Sep Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 292 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~40%
All 3 in 3 days here: ~30%
Recent sightings in Congaree National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
35Jan
39Feb
45Mar
60Apr
58May
60Jun
60Jul
63Aug
64Sep
51Oct
42Nov
37Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
(Congaree Swamp)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
33.792° N, 80.748° W
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Cedar Creek Canoe Launch
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Visitor centre
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Green Anole~70%+10%
Carolina Wren~70%-20%
Pileated Woodpecker~70%-10%
Plain-bellied Water Snake~70%+10%
Eastern Gray Squirrel~70%+10%
Northern Cardinal~70%-20%
Red-bellied Woodpecker~70%-20%
Tufted Titmouse~70%-20%
Common Five-lined Skink~60%+10%
Broadhead Skink~60%+10%
Northern Cottonmouth~60%≈
Carolina Chickadee~60%-20%
-
Bates Ferry Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Free
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1
dayTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.2
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 316
🐒 Mammals 59
🦎 Reptiles 70
🐸 Amphibians 59
504 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
15 Threatened 132 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.4
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (134 species at ≥5% of 504 in the inventory)
27% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (9 bird, 3 reptile)
50% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
87 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
31 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.9
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Free High
Tourism High Low
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We saw 3 snakes, a raccoon, a handful of turtles, a huge fishing spider, and a river otter devouring a fish (which was probably the highlight of my entire trip) A river otter enjoys some sushi.
We saw one of my favorites, an anhinga, stretching out its wings in the sun on the edge of a pond.
It’s not home to sweeping vistas or stunning landforms like some national parks, but it’s home to an incredible assortment of plant and animal species, from big ol’ alligators to the tiniest frogs I’ve ever seen!
No gators today, but we found a cool rock that looks like a turtle.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Congaree National Park?
504 species
Congaree National Park has 504 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Carolina Wren (about 90%), Northern Cardinal (about 90%), Red-bellied Woodpecker (about 90%), Tufted Titmouse (about 90%) and Pileated Woodpecker (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 60%); among reptiles, Plain-bellied Water Snake (about 60%); among amphibians, Southern Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Congaree National Park for wildlife?
April, August and October
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in December.
Can you see an American Alligator in Congaree National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an American Alligator sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September (about 70%).
Can you see a Southern Toad in Congaree National Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Toad sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 89 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is October (about 70%).
Can you see a Marbled Salamander in Congaree National Park?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Marbled Salamander sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February (about 60%).
Can you see a Three-lined Salamander in Congaree National Park?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Three-lined Salamander sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 56 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April to August (about 40%).
Where in Congaree National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around (Congaree Swamp)
The richest sighting zone is around (Congaree Swamp), followed by Cedar Creek Canoe Launch, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Congaree National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.6 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Congaree National Park rates 3.6/5: 174th of 316 parks worldwide and 19th in North America. 39 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
