Congaree National Park Visit

Rebecca and I decided to go to Congaree National Park on Sunday, April 2nd. We arrived around 11:00 if I recall correctly, and left around 1:30. The weather was quite beautiful that day, and we had a very nice time. It was mostly sunny, and we brought a small lunch so we could stay longer. I did not bring my dog, Vincent, this time, as I knew we would be in the visitors center for a while. 

Congaree helps accommodate a wide range of visitors in a way that I feel is effective. The park has a boardwalk along with a guided informational tour that you can take along the boardwalk. This is geared towards more leisurely visitors along with families which is seen through the shorter walking times and the slightly simpler ideas on the tour. Rebecca and I did part of the guided tour around the boardwalk, and it was quite interesting even to me. The more experienced hikers also have a wide range of trails that they can choose from the branch off from the boardwalk. However, these trails can become easily flooded, which is a bit of a downside. 

Congaree National Park incorporates the idea of "enjoyment of the present, and preservation for the future" in multiple ways. One of the most obvious ones is the boardwalk. This is a great example of how an engineered structure can help protect wildlife and help visitors enjoy the park. The boardwalk not only helps protect by keeping the visitors on a very set path and discouraging any wandering, but it also helps visitors enjoy it because it keeps them out of the mud and floodplain. The preservation of the future aspect is also seen in the more woodsy trails, as they have a sign that explicitly says that humans are visitors to this area. 

Luckily, Congaree is free to enter and visit. I see this as a very valuable idea, especially for people in my monetary situation. I do not have much cash to spare, so just spending the time and gas to get to Congaree is plenty of a sacrifice already to me. I see the park trying to make money through the gifts and trinkets you can buy in the visitor's center. I think this is a good idea; it adds to the experience as well by letting you have something to keep from your trip if you'd like. I ended up buying a few postcards for my penpals. I think that because the park is free, I am more willing to spend money at the visitor's center as well. I also saw while we were there that the National Guard helped create the visitor's center along with the roads and parking lots in the years 1998 through 2000. It mentions this in the visitors center because it saved so much money for the national park service in infrastructure costs; meaning tax dollars were saved. Overall, I feel as if my tax dollars are being spent well on this park. There is a good balance of commerce and conservation. I loved visiting, and I am sure I will be back again.