Day 2: Congaree National Park

National Park #1

We got to Congaree National Park on day 2 of our adventure. We had just left DC where it was cold and rainy, and when we got to South Carolina it was more of the same. It turns out the entire East Coast was caught in a week long rain storm, and so we had been wet and cold for awhile.

I say all of this because I think it contributed to our short-shrifting of poor Congaree.

To be clear, we enjoyed the time we spent, but we originally planned to spend two nights there, and didn’t even manage one. We arrived at 4 PM, right when the Visitor Station closed (I didn’t even get my stamp!). A Ranger on their way out recommended we do their boardwalk path and said that we could conquer it before sunset. Even in the misty rain, it was beautiful, and the self-guided tour was informational and interesting. I loved learning about Loblolly Pines and trees with knees, but when the short, easy hike was over, we found ourselves longing for warmer climes so we headed out and drove on to Savannah, GA that night.

Bottomline, we felt Congaree was a great little National Park to visit if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of your way to see it.