Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Richland County, South Carolina, USA
Nearest city	Eastover, South Carolina (town)
Coordinates
Area	26,546 acres (41.478 sq mi; 10,743 ha; 107.43 km2) 26,021 acres (40.658 sq mi; 10,530 ha; 105.30 km2) federal
Established	November 10, 2003
Visitors	120,122 (in 2014)
Governing body	National Park Service
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	February 2, 2012
U.S. National Natural Landmark
Designated	May 1974

Congaree National Park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. Located in South Carolina, the 26,546-acre (41.48 sq mi; 10,742.79 ha; 107.43 km²) national park received that designation in 2003 as the culmination of a grassroots campaign which had started in 1969. The lush trees growing in this floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the Eastern U.S., forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. The Congaree River flows through the park. About 57 percent (15,000 acres or 61 square kilometers) of the park is designated wilderness area.

Park history

Cedar Creek

In 1969, the Sierra Club launched a grassroots campaign to save this area of old growth forest from private landowners interested in relatively high timber prices. The result of this campaign was the establishment by Congress of Congaree Swamp National Monument on October 18, 1976. The national monument became an International Biosphere Reserve on June 30, 1983. Over two-thirds of the national monument was designated a wilderness area on October 24, 1988, and it became an Important Bird Area on July 26, 2001. Congress redesignated the monument Congaree National Park on November 10, 2003 and simultaneously expanded its authorized boundary by approximately 4,576 acres (1,852 ha). As of December 31, 2011, approximately 26,021 acres (10,530 ha) of the park are in Federal ownership.

Environment

The park preserves a significant part of the Middle Atlantic coastal forests ecoregion.

It has been designated an old growth forest. The park also has one of the largest concentrations of champion trees in the world.

Amenities and attractions

In addition to being a designated Wilderness Area, an International Biosphere Reserve, a Globally Important Bird Area and a National Natural Landmark, Congaree National Park features primitive campsites and offers hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and bird watching. Bald cypress is a common tree in the park. Large animals possibly seen in the park include bobcats, deer, feral pigs, feral dogs, coyotes, armadillos and turkeys. Its waters contain interesting creatures like amphibians, turtles, snakes, alligators, and many types of fish, including bowfin, largemouth bass, panfish, and catfish. Primitive and backcountry camping is available. Some of the hiking trails include the Bluff Trail (0.7 mi), Weston Lake Loop Trail (4.6 mi), Oakridge Trail (7.5 mi), and King Snake Trail (11.1 mi) where hikers may spot deer, raccoon, opossum, and even bobcat tracks. The National Park Service rangers have current trail conditions which can be found in the Harry Hampton Visitor’s Center. Along with hiking trails, the park also has a 20-mile (32 km) marked canoe trail on Cedar Creek.

Most visitors to the park walk along the Boardwalk Loop, an elevated 2.4-mile (3.9 km) walkway through the swampy environment that protects delicate fungi and plant life at ground level. Congaree boasts both the tallest (169 ft, 51.4m) and largest (42 cubic meters) Loblolly Pines (Pinus taeda) alive today.

The Harry Hampton Visitor Center features exhibits about the natural history of the park, and the efforts to protect the swamp. There is also an orientation film.

Documentary

In 2008, South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) produced a documentary on the history of the Congaree National Park titled Roots in the River: The Story of Congaree National Park. The documentary featured interviews with people involved in the movement that eventually led to the area's U.S. National Monument status, and observed the role the park plays in the surrounding community of the Lower Richland County area of South Carolina. The program first aired on the SCETV network in September 2009.

Photo gallery

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  Kayakers paddle on Cedar Creek

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  Old Growth Forest in the Congaree National Park, South Carolina

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  Mosquito meter at the visitor center

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  Boardwalk

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  Bald cypress trees from elevated boardwalk

References

Notes

Sources

• The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• http://www.scetv.org/index.php/press/release/etv_to_broadcast_new_carolina_stories_documentary_roots_in_the_river

External links

• Official site: Congaree National Park
• Friends of Congaree Swamp
• Wilderness.net page on the park
• Panoramic photo of the exhibits in the Harry Hampton Visitor Center
• Article about the Congaree Swamp and efforts to protect it
• Congaree National Park Hiking