May 21, 2024
Congaree National Park: A Forest for Irregulars
National parks and roadside barbecue restaurants have one thing in common – they are both excellent places for self-discovery. Having just returned from a trip that included both, I have come to an important self-realization: I am an irregular.
My friend, Allene, and I were waiting in line at Maurice’s Piggie Park barbecue restaurant outside of Columbia, South Carolina, when we met a regular. He comes to this restaurant twice a week for lunch and orders the same thing every time – the pork dinner with fried okra and Carolina hash. Even though we appreciated his recommendation for our meal, Allene and I decided to share a dinner with chicken, pork, and brisket along with the Carolina hash and collard greens. The food was all excellent, but the collards in particular were simply outstanding. Allene wanted to let our friend know what he was missing by not trying something new… by not being a little more irregular.
My irregularity not only pertains to my lunch choices, but also in my quest to visit all 63 national parks. People ask me time and time again why this is a goal for me. My answer to them, as least for today, is Congaree National Park.
A Park of Champions
Congaree National Park, up until very recently, is one of the least visited parks in the country. It doesn’t boast cliff faces, geysers, or rattlesnakes. However, this quiet, humble park is simply spectacular.
The first impressive feature of the park is that, like the New England Patriots, it houses a lot of champions. Did you know that a tree can be designated as a “Champion Tree?” There is a certain formula that is used to bestow this arborary award that includes trunk circumference, height, and other measures of size. Although the exact number changes as trees fall, Congaree has the highest concentration of these behemoths anywhere in North America. Unlike an NFL ticket, it is free to enter this winner’s circle and marvel at its greatness.
A Place of Stories
After visiting Congaree twice, I have a new appreciation for its habitat, the bottomland hardwood forest. This type of forest sits on low ground and floods intermittently. The result is a unique ecosystem that has supported human life for 10,000 years! The hikes are flat, but guide you to places where you find yourself alone, surrounded by old trees and eerie stillness. The quiet along Weston Lake Loop trail whispers the story of centuries of people who found themselves here and a forest that survived destructive industrialization.
I recommend the complete board-walk hike and at least one other trail to the forest floor. For the complete experience, take a canoe tour on Cedar Creek. I did this on my first trip to Congaree through Palmetto Outdoors and it was excellent.
A Prize to Win
To further convince you to visit, it’s time for the Hail Mary… the tiny, bioluminescent Photuris frontalis. Not only a great name for the back of a football jersey, this species of firefly is one of only three in North America that can completely synchronize its flashing. Imagine moving strands of Christmas lights stretched throughout a dim forest, all blinking at the same time.
I learned about these fireflies during my first trip to Congaree. There are only three places in the US that you can see synchronous fireflies. Congaree National Park is one of them. To see this show, you have to enter a lottery in April. The viewing happens for about 2 weeks in mid to late May. I entered the lottery in April 2023 and did not win a pass. I persevered, however, and won this year. Since the park is only a four hour drive from Atlanta, I made a special trip just to get a dose of twinkling dopamine.
Internet Photos of the Synchronous fireflies
A Nighttime Spectacle
On days with firefly viewing events, the park closes at 4:30 pm and reopens at 7:00 pm. We arrived minutes after 7:00 pm to find an impressive line of cars waiting. There are checkpoints before entering the park where rangers will scan your pass and check that your photo ID matches the name on your pass. The ranger will give you a red flashlight and some brief information.
After checking in, we parked our car and headed to the Harry Hampton visitor center which stays open until 10pm on these special evenings. We then walked some of the board-walk trail until about 8:15 pm when we headed back to the roped-off, designated viewing trail. The synchronous fireflies stay low to the forest floor so the best way to view their blinking is by sitting on the ground. The middle of the path was crowded, but we found space to sit towards the end of the trail. First twinkling started about 8:30 pm and by 9:00 pm the show was at its peak.
Firefly viewing is similar to eclipse viewing, whale watching or seeing the Northern Lights…the experience is not guaranteed and is dependent on weather and other factors. On our visit, the moon was bright which pulled the lightning bugs deeper into the forest and further from the viewing areas as the night progressed. By 9:30 pm, the blinking slowed and people started leaving.
*How watching the Synchronous Fireflies at Congaree National Park made me feel.
Like attending an NFL game, there was a lot of pre-game excitement. “I won the lottery! We have tickets!! Who’s going? What will I wear?” Prior to the real firefly experience, the vision in my mind was a cross between the blue Will-o’-the-Wisp path in Brave and the lanterns filling the night sky in Tangled. The actual experience was not as dramatic or life changing, but it really was incredible and unique. It was irregular.