Experiencing South Carolina's First National Park: Part I
On December 1, 2003 I picked up the "Local & State" section of the Charlotte Observer and was simultaneously surprised and overjoyed to learn that the nation's newest national park had been established just outside of Columbia, SC. Specifically what had happened is that in November, 2003 President George W. Bush signed legislation which officially designated 22,000 acres of old-growth flood plain forest about 30 minutes outside of Columbia, SC as the nation's newest national park. Congaree National Park (formerly named Congaree Swamp National Monument) is South Carolina's first national park and it is the 57th area to be designated as a national park nationwide. One late afternoon in May I had the chance to experience this national treasure and I record here what I learned during my visit.
I was surprised when I learned of this park because it had existed as a national monument for decades yet I had never known of its existence. I was excited to learn of its existence because as a nature lover I support any effort to preserve nature in its most natural form. I decided immediately that I would visit the park as soon as possible. Finally on a late afternoon in May I found myself in the Columbia, SC area and decided to pay the park a visit.
Congaree National Park is located only about 15 miles off of U.S. Interstate 77. In that short 15 mile drive however the landscape changed from that of an urban and industrial center to rural forest and farmland. Upon entering the park I was surprised to learn that the park officially closes at 5:00 P.M. daily all year. It was already 4:30 P.M. so I knew I would need to hurry in order to have any sort of meaningful experience.
After parking, I visited the information center where I learned that that the park's original name, "Congaree Swamp National Monument" is a bit of a misnomer. The park actually does not lie on a swamp. Instead it rests on the Congaree River floodplain. The river floods the park about 10 times per year creating swamp-like conditions but the swampy flood waters are not permanent so when the park was designated "Congaree National Park" the word "swamp" was removed from its name. The park contains several state and national record trees (meaning that they are the tallest living trees of their species on record in either South Carolina or the United States). Included among these trees is a Loblolly Pine that measures more than 20 feet in circumference and 166 feet tall! I talked briefly with the Park Ranger on duty at the information center and he eagerly answered my questions about park wildlife and provided me with maps of the parks hiking and paddling trails as well as primitive campgrounds. He recommended I take a quick walk down part of the 2.5 mile boardwalk trail before I left. He also informed me that if I wanted to stay longer I could move my car to after-hours parking as long as I didn't mind the .6 mile walk from that parking area back to the start of the Boardwalk Trail.
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