Paddling Congaree National Park’s Cedar Creek, I could see why it is worth protecting. We paddled under a thick canopy of cypress and tupelo. The black water hid fish, snakes and surely alligators swimming below us.

A couple of egrets flew overhead searching for a new perch. Non-poisonous water snakes rested on stumps and logs soaking up the bit of sunlight that penetrated the clouds.

The forest was alive. My grandpa and I had joined Carolina Outdoor Adventure’s Cedar Creek tour. We made the 45-minute drive to Congaree National Park’s South Cedar Creek Landing for a 10 am tour. The gravel parking area has a restroom and serves as the trailhead for the 11.7-mile Kingsnake Trail.

A SHORT WALK down a steep gravel road took us to the put in and a bridge. With our guide Billy Easterbrook and 5 others, we donned life jackets and talked about safety and the park’s wildlife. It was a comfortable 75-degree morning with an overcast sky. One at a time we all plopped our

One at a time we all plopped our kayaks into the muddy water and paddled under the bridge. We started our 3-hour tour floating downstream and enjoying the scenery.

My Grandpa and I, had our own challenge, learning to work together. At first, we struggled to balance together, rocking our tandem kayak back and forth with every little move.

As the morning wore on, we became better balanced and by the end, we were pros and even managed to stay dry.

Billy pointed out the common cypress and tupelo trees. Cypress towered over the creek with distinctive knees rising from the water.

The rest of the forest was filled with the smaller, equally majestic tupelos. At one large, hollowed-out cypress, Billy stopped to gave us a history lesson.

Congaree was home to a group of escaped slaves, called maroons. The swamp provided perfect cover for them. Hollowed out cypress’ made the perfect hideout if they needed to hide.

GROUPS OF MAROONS could be found across the south, particularly in the hard-to-navigate dense cypress swamps of the Carolinas. As we paddled further, Billy told us more about the park’s history. In 1976, the land was saved from cypress logging in the late 1800s. Congaree Swamp National Monument was established in 1976. In 2003, the park’s designation was upgraded to Congaree National Park.

It is 1 of only 6 National Parks on the Eastern seaboard. The park covers more than 26,000 acres, including much of the oldest growth bottomland hardwood forest in the country.

Billy clarified that the park was not a swamp but a floodplain. Billy said the Congaree Indians, numbering around 400, inhabited the Congaree river basin. Congaree translates to “river people.”

BILLY SAID THE tribe was “mostly friendly,” except to the enemy Cherokees. The natives built homes on stilts as protection from the river’s floods.

We ran into many snakes on the trip. A non-poisonous water snake was stretched out on a log basking in the sun as were all the snakes we found.

Paddling further on, the creek gradually widened into an oxbow lake. Lake Dawson was part of the Congaree River about 1,000 years ago.

Now the river is 3 miles away. Lake Dawson is one of the most popular fishing spots in the park.

The lake is filled with bream, catfish, bass and alligator gar. An alligator and many snakes also live there.

We enjoyed the peaceful yet much alive lake and continued onward. The lake gradually narrowed back into the darker mysterious creek.

We soon reached our biggest obstacle, a fallen tree.

Park workers do a great job in keeping the creek clear of obstacles but this massive tree had just fallen.

We managed to duck and squeeze under the tight clearing under the tree.

Around the bend, Billy pointed out a fruit found in the park.

Paw paws are a small green pod-like fruit that grows on small trees and tastes like a mix of banana and mango.

JUST A BIT further downstream we turned around.

Now for the tough part. We had to fight the current and the rising waters to paddle 2 miles back to the landing. Although it was a bit of a workout, we enjoyed ourselves and chatted as we headed back.

About halfway back to the lake, we pulled off to the side to take a break. After being cramped in a kayak for 2 hours, it felt good to stand up. Walking around, we were careful to avoid the snakes and spiders. We hopped back into our kayaks and paddled quickly back to the oxbow lake where we found a huge black water snake basking on a stump.

We rested on the lake’s still waters, before making the final stretch back to the landing.

We carried the kayaks to Billy’s trailer and said good bye. Our trip on Cedar Creek was amazing. In 3 hours, we paddled 4 miles. The paddling was easy and thankfully the current was slow.

Billy Easterbrook was an excellent guide. He was excited to share his vast knowledge of the park’s history, plants and wildlife. I learned a lot from his tour.

Carolina Outdoor Adventure’s tour was a great way to get a unique, upclose look at Congaree National Park.

They also offer kayaking trips on the Congaree River, around Dreher Island, and Lake Murray sunset tours, all of which can be done privately for larger groups. Visit carolinaoutdooradventures.com .