Wading Through the Enchanting Congaree National Park, South Carolina
Super late getting this up, I know, but in my defense it’s been a little crazy adjusting to work and school on the road. So let’s just jump right in. I got company for my first leg on the road. A group of us planned a bachelorette weekend to Charleston, South Carolina for my mom, so that was my starting point. We got a hotel, which means I was not sleeping in the van just yet. They left on a Monday and that night I drove to Halfway Creek Trail Camp. This is a free primitive camp site located in the Francis Marion National Forest (about 40mins north of Charleston). It was very easy to get to. There is a short dirt road that ends in a loop for you to to park at. There is space for large RVs, but you could also park and walk into the woods and pitch a tent. There was barely any AT&T service available, but my Verizon hotspot did fine. I stayed at this campground all week to work and then on Saturday I drove to hit up my first national park of the trip: Congaree National Park.
The fee for national parks is usually $30/vehicle (which is good for a week), or you show a national park pass. I did not have to pay a fee at the gate this time though. I parked at the visitor’s center and grabbed a trail map. In this park, almost all of the trailheads start at the visitor’s center, so it’s the perfect place to park even if you plan on hiking several different trails all day. The map (pictured below) shows how a lot of the trails can be accessed from the main Boardwalk Loop, a super easy, wheelchair accessible, 2.6 mile trail. It’s the perfect first look of Congaree before deciding to conquer some of the longer hikes. I highly recommend following the whole thing!
Apparently there was a huge storm a couple days before I got there, so most of the 10 trails this park has to offer were completely flooded out. The highlighted trails on the map were the only two I was able to do. Even on the Boardwalk Loop, I was only able to go so far before having to turn around because the lower part of it was covered in water. I’m talking up to my waist. And for any of you thinking “well that’s not very high..” HA HA HA. The trail that I was looking forward to the most in this park was the Oakridge Trail. It is a 9.8 mile hike that was turned into a lake because of the storm. Like, couldn’t even step one foot onto the trail.
But other than the Boardwalk, the second trail I was able to hike was the Bluff Trail, which is about a 2 mile loop. There was evidence of prescribed burns along the way that was pretty cool to see. And right in the middle of the burned area, there was a group of musicians practicing. They sounded so beautiful and the piece they were playing was giving me serious fairy woods vibes.
Has anyone else ever been to this park? If not, I would definitely recommend going at least one if you get the chance. It is unlike anywhere I’ve ever visited before and not exactly what I think most people picture when they hear “national park.” Such a unique place.
