A Unique Experience at Congaree National Park: Nature’s Diversity
Congaree National Park is often ranked low on lists of National Parks. I went there to find out why.
The first impression that I had upon entering the park was that there were a lot of trees, and not just in sheer numbers. The variety of different species (estimated to be around 90) within the park astonished me. When you drive in, you see a diversity of longleaf pines with a mix of sweetgum, oaks, and hickories mixed in. Unfortunately, the latter three are invasive and by definition out-compete the trees that are native to the park.
After a short drive through what felt to be a screensaver worthy flash of trees trunks all around me, I made it to the visitor center. Walking through the archway of the visitor center you can see the parks mosquito meter. Lucky for me, it read at a measly ‘mild’ out of a possible cap of ‘war zone’. I filled up my water bottle and continued onto what I believed to be the most popular trail: the boardwalk trail. I was immediately exposed to a part of the vast expanse of the wildlife within the park. One Barred Owl (Strix varia) sat staring at me on one of the first branches that I saw.
The sounds of the diurnal birds within the park quickly permeated the swampy woods I was standing within. I heard the distinctive sound of a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) hammering her beak into one of the many trees. I also heard the distinctive call of my favorite bird: the Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor). While walking around I realized my assessment of the boardwalk being the most popular trail was probably accurate. It wasn’t exactly crowded, but there were quite a few birders who were out to observe or photograph the birds that I had heard evidence of.
Hey look ma, I’m in a canoe!
While in Congaree I had the opportunity to canoe as well. Seeing the park from the water was completely different than the small bit of land that the boardwalk had offered. All around us were Baldcypress’ (Taxodium distichum) that were teeming with life. All around us various fish splashed in the water. Multiple water snakes (Genus Nerodia) were slithering across the surface of the water or hanging out on downed tree branches that poked out above its surface. I can only imagine what would have been wandering around on the full 15 mile loop of the Cedar Creek canoe trail.
While Congaree falls near the bottom of other people’s lists for national parks, it does not for me. I had a great time and will be returning to explore even more thoroughly in the future and I recommend you do too.
