Wow, this year has been difficult. Really, the end of 2025 into the start of 2026 has felt the heaviest. A few years ago, I got sick with the flu while in New York City for New Year’s. I thought that was the worst birthday I’d ever had. Well, life apparently took that as a challenge. This year, I spent my birthday visiting my chosen mother (story for another time) in the ICU. Then, just five days later, I ended up in the hospital for emergency surgery, only to land in the ICU myself.
By the end of April, I was desperate for an escape to the woods. I wanted to be far away from the hospital that sits just a few miles from my place. I wanted to be somewhere quiet. I planned a brief three-day getaway at the end of March to Congaree National park. I figured it was the perfect timing: the mosquito population would be at its minimum, and it’s far enough away that I would get to spend some time on the road.
Synchronized Fireflies 🔦
I’ll be honest, in my desperation to escape, this was not a well-thought-out trip. I went too early in the year to see the synchronized fireflies. Each year, Congaree National Park hosts a synchronous firefly event for about two weeks, typically from mid-May to mid-June. Because the viewing window is so narrow, tickets are only available through the Recreation.gov lottery system. Check out the Congaree National Park webpage for detailed information on this event.
Though I would have loved to see the fireflies during this visit, I was more interested in hiking. I didn’t get to see the swamp in its full glory, it was a bit dry, but I did see parts of it covered in water. Large sections of the boardwalk were off-limits due to construction. I was still able to walk some of it. I had to encourage my dog, Lily, for a large portion of the boardwalk. but with treats and consistent reassurance, she completed the three-mile hike. Toby, my other pupper, walked without any challenge whatsoever.
Tracing the Past 📄
Congaree National Park is sometimes rumored to be one of the “worst” national parks in the U.S. due to its lack of dramatic scenery, but I believe it holds its own quiet beauty. This place hold a kind of beauty that doesn’t announce itself. While it may not be on the “excitement” list like the prideful mountains of the Grand Teton, or the picture perfect canyons of the Grand Canyon, it has a very rich history. This park doesn’t demand your attention. It asks for it, quietly. As I walked the boardwalk, I slowed down. I started to notice the stillness, the sound, the ancient ground below me. It was not trying to impress me. It just existed, like myself. And there, we met.
This park is named after the Congaree people who once inhabited this region. Unfortunately, not much is known about them. It’s believed many died from diseases introduced by European immigrants. History shows that nomadic people inhabited this region for around 10,000 years, long before Europeans immigrants arrived. Hernando de Soto encountered them when he arrived in April 1541
Over time, more European immigrants moved into the region and colonized the land. They attempted to dominate the dense landscaped by planting cash crops. As more immigrants arrived, the landscape changed dramatically. Flooding was a regular. In an attempt to control the flooding, dikes were built, but few were successful.
After the Civil War, lumber was in high demand. A man named Francis Beidler bought around 15,000 acres of the land, and so began the mass deforestation of old-growth cypress trees.
In 2003, Congaree was designated a national park in an effort to preserve the bottomland forest as it once was. It is now the largest contiguous old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States, a small preservation of what this region looked like before the widespread deforestation.
Final Thoughts💭
While this isn’t an attention-grabbing national park, it is a park with heart and soul, perhaps, many souls. You can experience this park it in a single visit. I made it a weekend trip because that’s what I needed, but it’s also perfect as a road trip stop. Walk the boardwalk with intention, listen to the swamp, and learn its history. It won’t be boring if you’re open to seeing it with more than just your eyes. What stands today is not just a forest, it is a fragment of what once was.
Between Tales & Trails 
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