Congaree National Park
South Carolina, February 2017
“Astonishing biodiversity exists in Congaree National Park, the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States.” – NPS
We got to Congaree, located just southeast of Columbia, in the early afternoon. We briefly checked out the visitor center and gift shop and picked up the Junior Ranger booklets for the kids. It was a good time of year to visit in regards to bugs – the Mosquito Meter gave the The weather continued to be sunny and comfortable so we grabbed our sandwich lunches and ate outside at the picnic shelter while the kids worked on their booklets. An hour later, we were embarking clockwise around the 2.6 mile loop boardwalk trail through the heart of the park.
To put it plainly, Congaree is a swamp. In fact ‘swamp’ was in the park’s name prior to it gaining National Park status – I guess the powers-that-be didn’t think ‘swamp’ conjured up much appeal. Its claim to fame is being the largest forest of old-growth bottomland trees left. Honestly, we would not have sought out the park if it hadn’t been for our resolve to visit every National Park. Suffice to say, our expectations were low.
The boardwalk stays in the trees and never reaches the Congaree River that creates the southern border of the park. I thought the first half of the loop was relatively unexceptional, being mostly dry and the only wildlife being a couple of squirrels (we were hoping for wild boars), but Katie found beauty in it. The second half was much more memorable. There was a nice place to rest at Weston Lake, where the kids worked on their booklets some more, and many sections were flooded, showcasing how pretty swamps can be.
The final stretch of the walk was through bald cypress trees, which create lots of knobby ‘knees’ protruding from the ground – very unique. Unfortunately, with the visitor center and gift shop closing at 5 pm, we had to rush to finish the walk. Who’d have guessed we would be left wanting more time here!
