National parks are amazing.  Nature. Beauty. Solitude.

When a country decides that a particular place is so unique that it deserves to be preserved at the national level, that’s a pretty good signal that it’s worth visiting. You’re very unlikely to be disappointed no matter which parkland you set your sights on.

It doesn’t hurt that national parks are also some of the most affordable places to travel. After all, nobody had to build expensive roller coasters or animatronic dinosaurs to convince people to come see the Grand Canyon or hike through Yellowstone. The appeal is completely natural. And many of the costs that do exist are taxpayer-supported, which means access is surprisingly inexpensive. In fact, for about $80 you can buy an annual National Parks pass that covers entry to almost every national park in the country for an entire year. Visit just three or four parks and the pass practically pays for itself.  That’s a pretty good travel deal.

The Ones We Missed

Sometimes I regret that during our whirlwind quest to get our boys to all 50 states before they graduated high school, we were often moving too quickly to detour into national parks, but when you’re trying to knock out a lot of states in a limited time, efficiency starts to win over exploration.

As a result, my personal national park count is only 13 out of the 63 parks currently in the system. That number always feels a little low when I see maps from people who have visited all of them.

Right now, though, I’m okay with that.There are some amazing people documenting their journeys through every national park (like Renee Roaming or the couple behind Trip of a Lifestyle). I love following their adventures, but visiting all 63 parks isn’t our immediate goal. For now, we’re happy to encounter them organically as part of our slomadic journey.

A Day Trip to Congaree

That brings us to this week’s trip to Congaree National Park in South Carolina. One guidebook we checked out described Congaree as “the least popular national park.” That may or may not be fair, but it definitely made us curious. We had beautiful weather, so we packed up and drove from Myrtle Beach for a long day trip.

Getting there is part of the experience. For a while it feels like you’re just driving through rural South Carolina at random.  Down narrow roads, unmarked turns, mailboxes that seem disconnected from any visible house. And then, almost out of nowhere, the park entrance appears.

Congaree is different from many national parks. There aren’t scenic drives winding through mountains or overlooks where you can simply park and take in the view. This park is about being in the landscape.  As soon as you leave the visitor center, you’re walking.

It’s a swamp.  Ok, they repeatedly call it an “old growth bottomland hardwood forest”, but it is a swamp :). Which means bug spray is highly recommended (even though the park’s famous “Mosquito Meter” rated the day as only mild). 

Fortunately, Congaree has a raised boardwalk trail that lets you explore much of the park without sinking into the mud. It winds through towering hardwood forests (love those loblolly pines!) and past bald cypress trees rising out of the water. Part of the loop was under construction when we visited, so we got to go off the boardwalk and onto a dirt trail for a while. That meant stepping over cypress knees, dodging muddy patches, and occasionally wondering whether we were still on the trail.

But that’s the point. National parks aren’t meant to be perfectly polished experiences. They’re meant to remind you that nature is still bigger than you are.

Number Fourteen

By the end of the day we had checked off National Park #14. Not exactly a speedrun. But honestly, that’s fine. One of the unexpected gifts of this stage of our life is that we don’t have to rush anymore. Instead of racing through destinations, we can take the long walk, read the interpretive signs, and linger on the boardwalk a little longer.

The parks will still be there tomorrow. As we continue moving around the country, I’m hoping to gradually add more of them to the list. Not because I need to collect all 63 and not because they might just be the best travel value in America.  Because I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every one I have been to.

Beautiful places. Minimal cost. And nothing on the itinerary except the next step on the trail.