"CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK, S.C. — Rising possibly 175 feet above the floodplain, propped up by a trunk 15 feet around at its base, America’s tallest loblolly pine dwarfed the veteran state biologist standing beneath it.
“It’s mainly because it’s unmolested and it’s in some of the most fertile ground in South Carolina,” John Cely explained in his thick Southern drawl when asked the secret to the towering growth of the tree.
In fact, this is just one of a surprising number of “national champion” trees rooted in the national park that’s renowned for these giants.
“These silts and clays get washed in from flooding from the Upstate,” he continued. “My grandfather was a farmer in Upstate in Anderson County. I’m sure half his topsoil is down here in the Congaree. It’s got a long growing season, it’s undisturbed in very, very fertile soil, abundant moisture. That’s a great recipe for growing big trees.”"
Kurt Repanshek reports for National Parks Traveler April 13, 2026.
