December 30-31, 2024.
Introduction
Congaree National Park protects old growth bottomland forest in South Carolina. Before arriving here, I knew next to nothing about the park, about South Carolina and about the flora and fauna here. Since it’s the only National Park in this small state, I felt like it would be a priority to stop there. Unfortunately for us, there is no car camping in the park so we had to find a private campground nearby. If you’re a tent camper, no problem, but you do have to reserve a site in advance.
Upon arriving at the park, we pulled off near the entrance sign. No, I am not the type of person who takes a picture at all the signs. It just so happened that the highpoint of the park is located a few yards from the entrance. After tagging that flat patch of ground, we continued to the Visitor Center.
Inside, we watched two videos: the park information video and a safety orientation. The park video highlighted the park’s exceptional biodiversity and conditions that support a large number of “champion trees.” A remarkable 25 trees in the park are the tallest of their kind in the country. Coming from the west coast, I never really thought about the southeastern United States as being a hotspot for big trees, so I was excited to learn more.
Congaree is a dynamic landscape that is shaped by regular floods and fires. At this time of year, the waters were relatively low and the boardwalk and trails were mostly clear. It was cool to watch the seasonal changes on the video and see just how this park transforms each year. It’s a place that is worth visiting several times to really get a sense of what makes it special.
The safety video, which was rather entertaining, followed two gals as they went on a hike through the park. One was fully prepared for her hike and one was cartoonishly unprepared and good at making poor decisions. We were reminded of things like researching the route ahead of time, packing food and water, staying on trail, being mindful of daylight hours and dressing appropriately. I can only imagine the kind of nonsense the park rangers have to deal with on a regular basis, so I bet they had a good time putting this short film together.
With safety and preparation top of mind, we asked the ranger for some hike recommendations and to get updates on current trail conditions. Armed with a map and some information, we made a plan for the day.
Hiking
Since part of the boardwalk had been damaged by the last hurricane, we couldn’t do the full loop. Instead I linked up a 7.8 mile figure-eight loop that combined some boardwalk hiking with a jaunt through the “wilderness” designated area. Since some of the trails were marked as muddy, we decided to wear our Bedrock sandals.
Despite the winter browns, the park was beautiful. At this point in the trip, we learned how to recognize and appreciate a cypress swamp. We’d visited several, starting with the northernmost cypress swamp in the US, located at Trap Pond State Park in Delaware! Though we’d seen this kind of habitat before, that made it no less exciting. I liked how the shadows fell across the yellow-ochre water. Palmettos grew beneath the towering canopy, a contrast that my brain still wouldn’t process.
Lots of birds took shelter among the alien looking plants. We used Merlin to help us identify them by sight and sound. By the end of the day, we’d collect 18 species! We saw one of my favorites, an anhinga, stretching out its wings in the sun on the edge of a pond. Ruby-crowned kinglets seemed to follow us as we traversed the boardwalk, hopping curiously from branch to branch. Eastern phoebes stood, silhouetted in the sun as they perched on cypress knees. It was densely packed with life.
We hopped off the boardwalk and walked past the menacing “entering wilderness” sign from the safety video. From this point on, we saw very few people on the trail. We happily walked among the giant trees, stopping to look up and appreciate their size every now and again. Mushrooms, vines and shrubs competed for our attention, too.
Though the sun was out all day, the trees blocked much of the light. When we stopped moving, it was easy to get cold. We found a bridge that was exposed to the sunlight and sat there on our lunch break. Later, we took one more break so I could paint. I carefully positioned myself in the sun. As the shadows greeted me, I hastily wrapped it up.
The next morning, I did a quick walk up the Kingsnake Trail before our kayaking trip. In just an hour, I hiked 2 miles, observed 13 species of birds and completed a sketch of the vine/tree/shrub jungle. I wished I had more time to keep exploring. The sandals came in handy again because there were some muddy and wet spots on the trail. I could only imagine what this place looks like when it’s flooded! But the highlight of this adventure was hearing two barred owls having a loud conversation with each other: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for youuuu allllll? WHO WHO WHO WHO WHO?”
Kayaking
It seemed like the best way to see the park from the water, so we booked a kayak tour with a guide service for our second day in the park. One other family was on our trip. Everyone had their own kayaks and after a quick briefing, we were in the water.
We drifted down the river, floating between the cypress trees. It felt much the same as hiking down a trail, except now we were stuck with this family and a guide who was relatively new to the area. I cannot say I had an amazing time. I think later in the year, when things are greening up and there is more wildlife to see, the kayaks might be a great idea. But we saw way more creatures when we were hiking quietly than we did with some loud and bored kids trying to entertain themselves on an old person paddling trip. And I didn’t need a guide to tell me what I was looking at.
If I were able to return to Congaree, I’d choose a different time of year just to see what it’s like. Spring would likely be better for plants, wildflowers and birds. The only advantage of visiting in winter is probably fewer people and definitely fewer bugs! It would be fun to do a backpacking trip and be able to spend some time out in the wilderness among the big trees.