Congaree - Hiking in a Swamp

Congaree National Park
Distance: 426 miles
Drive Time: 7 hours, 15 minutes

Congaree National Park is the one we skipped. Generally we have followed the pattern of each year driving a little further than the last, but for whatever reason we never quite made it to the park in South Carolina. But with 5 kids, two of which having never been to a national park, it was time to rectify that situation.

Congaree used to be known as Congaree Swamp National Monument, and was re-designated a park in 2011. It is a fairly small park in the bottom 10 for area and the bottom 20 for visitors. But it was still worth visiting. The swamp designation was accurate. The park is a flood plain for the Congaree river forming the southern boundary and one permanent creek (Cedar Creek) running on through the middle to north end of the park. During the rainy season, the entire area can flood. But we were there during the dry season which meant the entire area was covered in mud.

Thankfully, the main trail is a 2.6 mile loop on a board-walk. This is the trail that all first time visitors are encouraged to take. We decided to take that trail which allowed us to push the babies in a stroller and then hike a small sections of the Sims trail which takes you to Cedar Creek. The trails to the Congaree River are much longer and we weren't ready to make that long of a trek, but that gives us something to shoot for in the future. The vast majority of visitors will be on this one trail, so while it wasn't crowded, it was never empty either. As soon as you get off the boardwalk, the people disappear and the wilderness will surround you.

When we got on the Sims trail, we made Julia walk to the river which was approximately 1/2 a mile. She was excited about walking for about 1/4 of a mile, but then wanted to start being carried in the backpack. Hope she enjoyed it, because this was her last time in the backpack. From now on you are going to have to walk the whole way. Joanna especially enjoyed being pushed around and pointing out with great glee every yellow flower in the park. The Sims trail takes you to a bridge over Cedar Creek which is an especially great place to take some pictures.

At the half-way point on the board walk, there is a lookout point over a small lake. We stayed there for a little while and saw several snakes and a turtle swimming in the water. Farther along the trail, there was an old abandoned still used during prohibition. This swamp was an especially attractive place for people trying to escape the law, and it is easy to see why. The flora is so dense you could be just several yards away and nobody would know you were there.

Once our hike was over, we drove to Sweet Cream Company for Ice Cream. An ice cream parlor in downtown Columbia, that serves a variety of unique flavors. Elisabeth got kicked out of the store for not wearing her mask, which was the only time the entire trip somebody mentioned our mask habits.

We made it back home to discover that the heating element on our oven had broken, which made our dinner of baked chicken a little interesting, but we figured it out. Afterwards we played a game of Stone Age and watched Stacy's very first episode of Perry Mason. Thursday was certainly a much more relaxed day than the previous, and we were looking forward to an even more low key on Friday.