{"id":857,"date":"2024-06-23T14:38:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-23T14:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeffreyandanna.com\/?p=857"},"modified":"2024-12-07T15:33:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T15:33:31","slug":"congaree-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeffreyandanna.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/23\/congaree-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Congaree National Park, SC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 23, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Congaree National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ohhhhh, Congaree. For the very short time we visited you, you took us through the ringer. Leaving us with not only memories, bug bites, and sweat, but the promise to never return again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we were originally planning our trip to Florida, we decided we wanted to sprinkle some camping in along the journey to break up the drive and make it more fun. On our way down to Florida, we camped at the Alpine Climbing Club in West Virginia. We knew it would be warmer in South Carolina when we made the return trip, but we booked a site anyway, knowing that we could always resort to a hotel if it was just too unbearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We arrived at Congaree National Park a few hours after leaving Daytona Beach, Florida<\/a>, having spent time with family and a day exploring Universal Studios<\/a>. It was around 6:00 when we arrived, and we needed a bathroom. Bad. We had stopped at 2 gas stations along the way, both saying they didn\u2019t have a public bathroom. We were in the middle of nowhere South Carolina, and we didn\u2019t have any other options but to wait until we got to the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Congaree National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Upon arrival at the park, we were greeted with the strangest speed limits we’ve ever encountered, 13 mph and 27 mph. Not sure why they weren’t a rounded number, but to each their own. Once there, we booked it to the bathrooms\u2026only to find them locked. We then drove around to the campground where we found primitive bathrooms that we could use. While smelly, hot, and buggy, they did the trick. We headed back to the visitors center to find everything closed, and it was here that we discovered the family bathroom (that neither of us had tried) was, in fact, unlocked. Ugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We checked out the stamp for our National Park Book that we couldn\u2019t get to and admired the bug meter that said it was a 3\/6. We figured that wasn\u2019t too bad. We found a map, and we decided to take a walk along a wooden boardwalk around the national park. It was only 2 miles, and we thought it was the perfect distance to explore and decide if we wanted to camp in the 96 degrees that it was that day. We knew it may be a little buggy since it was a 3\/6, so we sprayed some bug spray around our legs and figured we would be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Congaree National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We were very, very<\/em> wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we started walking, the bugs started to show us some love. We\u2019d swat at them the best we could. It wasn\u2019t horrible. Not fun, but not horrible. The self-guided tour with the accompanying brochure was very informative and interesting, and we enjoyed seeing the different stops along the way. However, as we went further and got closer to the little creek that was a part of our boardwalk tour, the bugs got worse. At around .8 miles, I looked at Jeff and said, \u201cShould we turn around? They\u2019re just getting worse.\u201d We faltered for a second, debating our options and thought, \u201cWe\u2019re almost halfway. Let\u2019s just finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should have turned around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About another .4 mile later, the bugs were attacking. Horribly. No matter how much we swatted and tried to keep walking at a steady pace, they were all over us. At this point, we made the decision to turn our boardwalk tour into a run. In 96 degree heat. We ran at a good clip, took a couple breaks to see the creek (turtles!), and stopped to admire some historical elements that were a part of the guided tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Congaree National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Congaree National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When we returned to our car, soaked in our own sweat, we sat down, turned the AC on, looked at each other, and both said at the same time, \u201cNever. Again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moral of the story, don\u2019t go to a national park in South Carolina at dusk when the bugs will eat you alive. The park itself was very pretty, and the self-guided tour was very informative and fun to read as you walked and saw the different stops. The boardwalk itself was very well cared for and made the walk very enjoyable (had it not been for the bugs). Had we come at a better time of day, our experience would\u2019ve been a lot more pleasant. From the outside, the visitors center looked really cool as well, and we wished we had been able to check it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, we drove to a hotel that night and forfeited our campsite. We ended up driving to West Virginia that night, making for an easy trip the next day, something we were both grateful for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anna and Jeffrey after running 2 miles through the gauntlet of South Carolina bugs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interested in visiting Congaree National Park, I recommend making sure you go not <\/em>at prime bug time and also checking out the ability to canoe one of the local waterways. We read that was a good way to explore the park (although I\u2019d be even more wary of the bugs there). The park itself was pretty small and something you could work through over a day or two. Like I said, I think we would\u2019ve enjoyed this park a lot more at a different time of day, but hey, memories were definitely made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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