If you’ve never heard of Congaree National Park, please don’t feel bad. Located in the midst of endless cotton fields in the heartland of South Carolina, Congaree can certainly sneak up on you.
Let me just get this out of the way: it’s a swamp – just not the type of swamp that you imagine when that word is read. This swamp is actually “the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States” (lifted directly from the sparsely populated Congaree National Park’s official National Parks Service website). It’s a swamp, yes, but it’s also a rich and abundant forest, filled with the tallest trees I’ve encountered on this side of the Mississippi.
I visited Congaree during the last weekend of October, and I feel that this might have been the best time to do so. There were hints of fall creeping into the leaves of the trees, but it had that feeling that it would take another couple of weeks before fall was fully seen here. I say that this might be the best time to visit, because I can’t imagine what it would be like during the summer months. On each side of the 2.6 mile boardwalk that took you out into the saturated forest, standing water was just as likely to be found as was solid ground. From what I read, during the summer mosquitos travel in swarms, ready to drain whatever warm bodied creature dares to venture in. However, there are also amazing stories of the warm summer nights dazzling visitors with thick clouds of fireflies.
While Congaree National Park didn’t dazzle like some of the Parks I’ve visited out West, it did house an ancient calming magic that could be tangibly felt as you walked amongst the towering trees. There was something to be said about finding yourself alone in the midst of giants that have been untouched and never tamed by man. Your mind is both at peace, and also anticipating whatever is around the next turn.
I’m not certain I could recommend traveling to South Carolina just to visit Congaree, but if you find yourself in the area, stop by for a stroll back into the area’s ancient past, reserved for future generations.