Cedar Creek is the slow, tannin-dark waterway that drains the heart of Congaree National Park. The 15-mile marked canoe trail begins at Bannister Bridge and winds through some of the tallest trees in eastern North America before reaching the Congaree River.
Paddlers regularly see river otters, alligators, prothonotary warblers and white-tailed deer, and on a quiet weekday it is easy to feel as though you have the entire bottomland to yourself. Outfitters in nearby Columbia rent kayaks and canoes and can shuttle you to and from the put-ins.