It's not the smallest National Park (that would be Hot Springs which we explored in October) but it is small and easily enjoyed in a single day's visit. Even though our stop near CONG was part of our general northward trajectory, some of which we'd just canceled, we decided to keep this four-day stay in the schedule since it wasn't a long drive there and back to where we were.
CONG offers some camping within the park, but not for RVs. We stayed in Lexington, SC at The Barnyard RV Park, which was a half-hour's drive from the NP, offered all the amenities we needed, and was very convenient for grocery pickup, etc. Our site was close to the duck pond that did have resident ducks, African geese, turtles, and daily visits from a pair of Canada geese and a Great Blue Heron.
We only ventured into CONG on one of our four days, and it was the first of our stay since that was forecast correctly as the nicest weather-wise. In short, Congaree was established to protect some of the last old-growth floodplain forest. One of its signature trees, the Bald Cypress, is what led to much of the old growth's disappearance. The wood from them is known as "wood eternal" because it is rot and water resistant, and it was heavily over-forested in the late 1800's due to that. Because the park exists on a floodplain, it is obviously flooded several times per year, and like our friends The Lowes discovered a few years ago, even the boardwalk can be underwater.
A Rainbow Pool! I can hear the sudden intake of breath from all my nature-loving friends, alarmed by this oily sheen on the water. Relax and exhale, this beautiful phenomenon is not nasty pollution! This prismatic display is caused by oil, but it is the result of naturally decaying cypress cones and needles as well as bacteria breaking down iron in the soil. It is always present, but conditions must be just so for it to be visible (still water, the light hitting it at the right angle, etc.) We felt unbelievably lucky to have paused and turned to look around when we did.
One more fun sighting was in store for us not far from the rainbow pool.
TBG espied this big ol' sunning snapper. Those "barnacles" on its shell are (I'm pretty sure) leeches. They aren't feeding through the shell, of course, just hitching a ride, but they can attach to the turtle's flesh eventually. Sources tell me they won't hurt the turtle, but ew leeches.
We'd given ourselves four days in the area, but since our NP visit was our reason for being there, we didn't do a whole lot else with our remaining time. We miscalculated on arrival and should've gotten our propane fill at the station near the RV park entrance before settling in our site and realizing we were leaving on a Sunday when they'd be closed. It was a bit of a PITA, but we buttoned up midway through our stay, and TBG drove around for a fill while I exchanged some paper money for a mountain of quarters at the office. Flush with two things full-time RVers must always have, we just relaxed and enjoyed a few days of in-house showers, cable TV, and screaming fast internet, three things full-time RVers are always tickled to have.
Our RV park was adjacent to a huge weekend flea market, and needing to walk anyway, we headed over on Saturday to check it out. If we'd wanted, we could have done all our shopping there, including any number of reptiles. Yikes. We settled instead for some pecans, local honey (no, we haven't snarfed all the Tupelo yet) and sweet potatoes, as well as three pairs of soft lounge pants for me. Yes, that's right, I bought pants at a flea market.
Hey, remember this adorable goat-treat station from last summer in Utah?
Well, guess what we found at the flea market?
This pup, Molly, had one, too! I didn't have any of my mondo supply of quarters on me, but TBG indulged me, and after we'd dropped off our purchases at home, we returned just so I could play Feed The Pup.
We're now back at Petersburg COE near Augusta, and I have some exciting news to share in the next post. Go make some memories, Faithful Readers, and I'll see you back here in a week or two. Stay the course and be well!
COMMENTS
Wow! I’ve always been curious about this park. The Rainbow Pool sounds (and looks) particularly neat.
It’s definitely not one of the more well-known parks, but I think it’s very worth at least a day’s visit. I forgot to say in my post, but entrance is FREE 🙂
I love trails with boardwalks! And that rainbow pool is gorgeous. What a cool photo with the rainbow colors and the reflection of the trees in the water. We have five-lined skinks here…we should have set up a photo op for you so that you could get an entire photo of the critter, lol. And hey! You’ve seen our ONE bald cypress with lots of knees! And we are very protective of it. I still can’t believe our neighbor wanted to saw off all of the knees. NO WAY. I think they’re beautiful, knobby knees and all.
Congaree was on our trajectory last spring before all of our plans went belly up. So it remains on our list. Thanks for the excellent preview tour!
I love boardwalks, too! Just the thought that people labored to make a walkway so other people could have a pleasant walk, charms me to my toes. Oh, there are so many things we never got to while we were there! I guess that really does mean we’ll have to come back. I think the cypress are beautiful, too, and I would’ve helped you bop your neighbor if they’d gotten anywhere near one with a saw. Maybe you should take a short detour to Congaree on your way up to cool off this summer? Or on the way back — fall is probably gorgeous in there. Do it!
I definitely would have assumed that rainbow pool was due to pollution. Thanks for clearing that up. It’s certainly beautiful! Glad you guys had access to the trails. Trying to hike at a place that exists to preserve a floodplain certainly requires a bit of luck. Love the puppy treats station. They really should have one of those at every store. Would do wonders for the public’s mental health.
When I first saw a picture of one, that’s exactly what I thought — oil slick!! Our sighting wasn’t even as bright as they can get, but they’re made more beautiful knowing it’s a wonderfully natural phenomenon. We were fully prepared to get our feet wet, but very glad we didn’t have to. The puppy treat station and that super-sweet pup were such a delight. It took all my restraint not to dog-nap her while TBG was talking to the proprietor.
I continue to be amazed by your critter-spotting ability. Even with the bright colors I doubt we would have noticed the skink! We are better at spotting large, loud things so let us know if you ever need help locating say, a firetruck. I’m very happy to see your lovely photo of the rainbow pool since it’s the signature image of the NP and something I’m very interested in seeing someday. Happier for you that you were able to catch a glimpse!
The credit for this particular skink-spotting goes soley to TBG. I think you guys may have found (will find) a skink because you hear them making a ruckus in the leaves. They’re still harder to spot than a firetruck, though LOL!! I hope you get to see a rainbow pool or two when you get to Congaree. It would also be a great place to hang out on the boardwalk — several bench alcoves — and birdwatch.
What a really neat find! Love the boardwalks. The cypress trees are always fun. Love those knees. The Rainbow Pool was so incredible. I can only imagine how beautiful it was in person. So glad the photos came out. Mentioning honey…I really like the Tupelo honey. It is a very different taste. I opened the sample of Wildflower Honey the other night. I know you can find Wildflower all over but this Wildflower was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It is SO wonderful. The brightest taste ever. I will definitely be ordering this. Yum!
It’s an interesting and pretty park, for sure. We could see hints of the rainbows in other places, but you’re right, when you see an actual “full” rainbow (waterbow?) it’s stunning.
Those honies are really good, aren’t they? The local honey we got in SC is good, but we did a side-by-side with the Tupelo, and the Tupelo really lives up to its reputation. Now I might have to order some of their Wildflower honey!
Great writing, awesome photos! Really enjoyed the Rainbow Pool. We received our Tupelo honey order last week from Smiley. Thanks for the info. Warm biscuits and Tupelo will be enjoyed often in our household. Sure is nice to see the world from my Lazy Boy! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Brad! Tupelo honey on warm biscuits sounds absolutely divine. Hope we can meet up out here on the road before long!
Lucky you to be at the right spot at the right time to see the Rainbow Pool. I have not heard about that but perhaps we won’t see it during Fall. That was certainly a wow! And you are lucky too, it was not flooded and sure looked dry where you were.
When it comes to spying critters, you are the most observant for critters seem to present themselves to you. What a find, a turtle and some hitch hikers.
Can’t wait for your exciting news!
I, also, would have assumed the Rainbow Pool was caused by pollution and wouldn’t have just enjoyed it’s beauty. You learn something new everyday I love those “knees” – they always make me smile.
I use honey in my tea every morning and I often experiment with different varieties. I’m going to have to try Tupelo when I’m done with my current one – Avocado honey.