35. Congaree National Park, South Carolina

               Hello and welcome back to our blog on the National Park Service!  In this post we check off another of the “Big 60” official National Parks, visiting one of the last areas of old growth floodplain forest in the country.

Entrance sign

BACKGROUND:

               Before European settlement, forests covered the entirety of eastern North America.  In particular, over thirty-five million acres of floodplain forests lined the banks of rivers and tributaries in the southeast. Home to a wide diversity of bald cypress, loblolly pine, sweetgum, swamp chestnut oak, and others, the towering trees of the floodplain forests were a prime target for logging in the 1800s.  On the north bank of the Congaree River in South Carolina, a large tract of old growth forest remained untouched, ironically through the work of a logging mogul.  Bought up a the Beidler family for their logging business, the area was deemed unsuitable at the time for logging operations due to the swampy terrain.  The forest was left alone until the 1960s when more equipment made logging in the swamp easier than it had previously been at the turn of the century, the Beidler family began opening up their plot along the Congaree River to new logging.  In response, local journalist Harry Hampton, who had spent years on work to preserve the forest, led a campaign to save the floodplain.  The effort was successful, with Congress passing legislation declaring the area as Congaree Swamp National Monument.  In subsequent years, further legislation expanded the monument’s acreage and it was officially re-designated Congaree National Park in 2003.

Congaree in its natural state: flooded.

THE PARK:

               Congaree National Park preserves a large tract of over twenty-six thousand acres along the north bank of the Congaree River southeast of Columbia, the state capital.  The park is more a preserve than park, with two-thirds to three-quarters of the park being a declared wilderness area.  While the park is predominantly a floodplain, the boundaries also extend to the edge of the northern bluff leading to higher ground.  Although called a bluff, the gradient is so gradual there is little noticeable difference in elevation to the untrained eye.  However, this modest elevation change is a stark boundary line within the park as it marks the extreme end of the area which is naturally prone to flooding.

A wood full of Loblolly Pines seen up on the bluff region of the park.

               Most of the park that is accessible to visitors lies in its far west corner.  In this area is located the visitor center, named for journalist Harry Hampton whose efforts helped saved the old growth forest.  Extending from the visitor center is a boardwalk that circuits down to Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the Congaree which bisects the park, and back.  Trails also snake through this area leading down to the banks of the Congaree River.  The section of Cedar Creek that runs through this region of the park is also officially a canoe trail for paddlers.  There are two campgrounds, one developed, one backcountry, located north of the visitor center on the bluff.

A photo of the boardwalk that extends in a circuit from the visitor center to Cedar Creek.  The boardwalk is necessary to venture deeper into the park at times when it is heavily flooded.

TRAVEL TIPS:

               Congaree National Park is a roughly twenty-minute drive from Columbia, South Carolina.  It is important for visitors to check on weather conditions in the region prior to arrival as it is likely a large portion of the park could be in flood stage.  While this may be disappointing for those looking to hike through the park, it is also a perfect demonstration of how the park is supposed to function, as a floodplain.  With that in mind, a better way to see the park may be by canoe or kayak along the Cedar Creek Canoe Trail or on the Congaree River.  The park has no entrance fee, and the visitor center and boardwalk are handicapped accessible.  Passport stamps can be found in the visitor center.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

The whimsical "Mosquito Meter" sign posted above the restroom doors at the visitor center alerting park goers to the potential numbers of insects they may encounter.

A section of dry trail cutting through the forest in the bluff region of the park.

An example of how severe flooding at Congaree can become; even the boardwalk floods!

A view taken from the boardwalk of Weston Lake, which due to flooding is now more akin to a river.

The bridge seen in the photo is supposed to be used for crossing Cedar Creek, however the far side has been inundated by rising floodwaters.  The bridge is also has a boat ramp nearby as this is the terminus of the Cedar Creek Canoe Trail.