I stumbled upon a list of the 10 least visited national parks in the country and one of them is within an easy drive of me. No, not Great Smokey Mountains National Park, but one that you may not have heard of: Congaree National Park. It’s just outside of Columbia, SC, about 90 minutes from my house – the closest national park to me. Another one is within driving distance, but is all the way up in Michigan, Isle Royale National Park – the others, Alaska, America Samoa, and Washington. Way out of range!
Mind you, I have been to Congaree once before, some number of years ago, July 18, 2006 to be exact. That day was a pretty hot day and the skeeters were out, so I don’t have any photos to show for it, or at least none that I kept. Skeeters love the swamp! The photo included here is actually from the Francis Beidler swamp in South Carolina.
I think that I’ll make trip back to Congaree, perhaps this weekend since it is so close. I’m not exactly sure what one will find in a swamp in the dead of winter, but at least I’ll have a look and see if I can make something out of it. Besides, the D700 has been clamoring to get out and shoot a bit, so I’ll honor her wishes.
For this year, I hope to get in at least 2 or 3 national parks that I’ve not been to. Monte and I are planning Arches, neither of us have been and I really want to see Redwood National Park. Also, I want to return to Great Smokey Mountains NP – it’s only 3 hours from here!
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Your National Parks are one of America’s greatest assets in my opinion. When we travelled the States all those years ago we always tried to find as many as we could (though it wasn’t as easy then as it would be today
). One thing that impressed me was their accessibility. In Australia, a large number of parks are only accessible with a four-wheel drive car or by organised tour with the argument being that it protects the park by reducing the numbers of people but to me it only reduces people’s awareness of the beauty we should all strive to save. I might just be naïve. Perhaps when such things are too accessible people just start taking them for granted. Who knows?
Anyway I still cherish my experiences in each Park I visited. I look forward to seeing what images you make in Congaree.
Cedric Canard recently posted..Moments
I would most certainly not like it if our parks weren’t accessible by common folk, such as myself. They’ve done a great job at many of the more popular destinations like Yosemite and Grand Canyon. During the high season you cannot drive through the park. They offer free shuttle buses running LNG, which cuts down on emissions as well as traffic congestion.
I agree with you about the cutting down on awareness. If you can’t get there, or if it is so difficult, few people will see it so what’s the point?
Would be interesting to know, why those 10 parks are less frequented than the others. Perhaps just fewer people living in travel distance…? Or is there any reason to assume those parks are less worth a visit than the others (I would find that hard to believe)?
Anyway, enjoy each and all travel! And this time, bring home a couple of shots…
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Thomas, I think that some of them have more “sex appeal” than others and the others, well they are just difficult to get to as they are in Alaska and America Samoa. I think that Congaree suffers from the former. Not many people have a good image of a swamp.
I agree with Cedric it is nice that we have the park systems we do. I have spent more time visiting them over the past few years and have many more to visit. I also have found much peace and quiet among the natural areas, which we have more of. I find anything better than staying imprisoned in our comfy homes. I’ve also found those parks and natural areas have a way of healing and changing us.
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Yes. I most certainly agree, even the least visited ones have something to offer. I plan to spend a bit of time contemplating Congaree today, even though the weather is a bit nippy and I have no idea what I will find in a winter swamp.
Interesting that I’ve been to one of them, and it’s not the one that is closest. We visited Wrangell-St Elias on a tour in 2005. It remains one of my greatest regrets that we didn’t do more there. It’s quite remote but exceedingly beautiful, and I could go back and spend an entire summer there. Hey, there’s an idea!
I’ve driven past Congaree, but to really experience it I think you need to be on the water. Looking forward to seeing your photos!
Jealous of your trip to Arches. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to crash the party!
Tom Dills recently posted..Happy 2013!
Heck! Crash the party? You’re invited, man! Let the planning begin!