We had never heard of Congaree until we began our quest. And when we first learned about the park, we were skeptical of how a swamp in the middle of the humid southeastern US would be worthy of being a National Park. Well, at the end of the day, we’re good with Congaree. It’s not like the majestic parks out west, but it’s worthy and it’s fun (especially if you can avoid the humidity and bugs like we did).
We visited Congaree in October 2019
Getting There
Congaree is pretty easy to get to. It’s only about a half hour southeast of Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city. The primary entrance is in the northwest part of the park and has the visitor center, a large network of boardwalk trails, and two campgrounds. It’s also not far from the access point for kayak/canoe tours.
Swamp or
Not a Swamp?
We were immediately impressed by the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. It was clean, modern, and the rangers were super helpful. One of us referred to “the swamp” and were met with a “we don’t use that word around here” response. Technically, Congaree is a floodplain forest that just so happens to be flooded a significant part of the year. Before it was a National Park, it was known as the Congaree Swamp National Monument, so apparently our mistake was not always considered wrong. Anyway, the rangers were happy to teach us all about the forest, it’s unique trees, and the history of the protected ecosystem. We were extremely lucky. It was cool and misty outside and the mosquitos had the day off. They do have their own Mosquito Meter that goes all the way up to War Zone. Yep. Swamp.
Loblolly Pines and
Knobby Knees
From the visitor center, you can venture out on several great boardwalk trails. I think we walked them all. The protected forest is the largest remaining old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the US. So protecting Congaree with NP status is helpful. They are proud of the many champion trees in their forest. We didn’t even know there was this kind of label. We have a lemon tree in our yard that’s very prolific, but I doubt if it’s a champion. Trees become champions if they are determined as the largest of their species by a combination of height, circumference, and crown spread measurements. There are many “champions” in Congaree, but we were fascinated by their cool names. They have Loblolly Pines which we made sure we said their name each time we saw one. It’s just fun to say “Loblolly.” The Bald Cypress is one of the more common trees in Congaree. And they have roots with protrusions that go up out of the water/ground and look like spikes or cones. These are “knobby knees” that help provide structural stability for the trees and allow them to get air. Another one that’s fun to say. We definitely got our steps in and between the visitor center and the funny tree names, Congaree exceeded our expectations.
Congaree doesn’t get tons of love. It’s not terribly close to lots of other parks, but it would be fairly easy to combine with a visit to Great Smoky Mountains (which ironically, is the most visited park in the system). We did enjoy our quick trip to Congaree but probably won’t be back. They do a great job teaching you about the unique environment and the need to preserve the forest in light of persistent logging. If you’re in the area, and the mosquito meter is low, drop in for an educational visit and walk through the boardwalks. It’s pretty cool.