I recently drove home to New England from spending the winter in Florida. As I planned the trip home, I looked for some new and interesting places to visit along the way. I happened to notice Congaree National Park in South Carolina was close to my route. I stopped for a quick visit and share some of what I learned and saw in this post.
Background
Congaree is one of the least visited national parks. It’s a relatively new National Park established in the 1960’s as a National Preserve, then as a National Monument in 1976, and then designated a National Park in 2003. It protects about 27,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest along the Congaree River floodplain. This is one of the few places left in the US where these trees are protected. Congaree is the name of a native people who once lived in the area.
This park is home to some of the largest and oldest swampland hardwood trees in the US. These varieties include Bald Cypress, Sweetgum, American Beech, American Holly, and Swamp Chestnut Oak.
My Visit
One of the main activities here is hiking. I hiked about 3 miles along a boardwalk that went thru a swamp area. There are many other trails but at the time of my visit most were closed due to flooding and downed trees.
I arrived early (8:30 am) to get one of the six parking spaces for RVs. The visitor center opened at 9:00 am but the exhibit areas were closed due to Covid precautions. I had a peaceful walk along the board walk before most other people arrived. I heard many song birds but only saw two – a male cardinal and a pileated woodpecker. It was a nice hike but not a scenic wonder that you expect a National Park would have.
A towering American Beech Tree. The tall trees provided a wonderful canopy to walk under.
The Boardwalk Trail – about a 3.2 mile loop hike through a swamp area
Observations
I’m pleased that this area and the old growth trees have been preserved. I’m sure it’s a great place to go for a hike and explore more of the area. As I was ready to leave at 11:30 am, the parking lot was full and there were many people on the boardwalk. Getting there early was a good move.
I’m glad I made the visit. It was sort of on my way home, so that made it easy to visit. I camped at Santee State Park (about 4 miles off I-95). That state park was about 32 miles away from Congaree. I’m guessing that the national park gets most visitors from the Columbia SC area who are looking for a place to take a hike. There is no entrance fee to get into the park,
J. Dawg on the Boardwalk Trail
Thank you for taking us along on this tour, Jim. Beautiful boardwalk! Did you encounter mosquitoes and any annoying bugs?
Thank you for sharing. Appreciate it. Welcome back to NE.
Sela
I was expecting bugs and dressed accordingly with long sleeves and long pants. But thankfully the bugs were on vacation or had taken a field trip to elsewhere in the park 😉
We drive through NC all the time and didn’t know about a National Park there! It looks amazing, and so happy it’s protected.
NC, like FL has a rapidly expanding population and, therefore, trees cleared for housing. Each State needs to look for areas throughout in order to set aside beautiful green spaces.
Thanks for the “heads up” on this place.
PS you are looking very healthy and strong! God bless.
J…. your stories are wonderful ! Please keep them coming. We’re no longer RVing. Our Sprinter van sat in the driveway most of the time so we sold it. Besides, the aggresive, rude, dangerous highway drivers were just too much for us. So, we live through your experiences. Take care of yourself. Have great summer ! G
Thanks for commenting. I almost sold my RV this winter but I’m still taking short trips about every month. I like the freedom to take off to go exploring without too much planning. I’ll continue to share my trips.
J. Dawg
I’ve been there twice in my travels and it’s a small but great visitor center. I hope it’s open next time you stop.
Congaree is known for the synchronous fireflies which are amazing when you see them but the timing of these wonderous insects can be finicky. I haven’t seen them in person but hope to one day.