Congaree, Dry Tortugas National Parks Offer Hidden Treasures
Michael Delli Carpini (cropped) / flickr.com/mdelli
“City Lights” travel contributor Kevin Benefield continues his exploration of national parks in the South. Today Benefield’s highlighting South Carolina’s Congaree and the Gulf of Mexico’s Dry Tortugas parks.
Despite only existing as a national park since 2003, Congaree is the Southeast’s largest old-growth bottomland hardwood forest. While visitors can see abundant wildlife in the swamps and rivers, Benefield says “it’s all about the trees.”
With 100-foot canopies, Congaree is one of the world’s tallest temperate deciduous forests and includes six national championship trees.
Benefield also suggests exploring the forest by canoe. From short day trips to multi-day tours that reach into parts of the park never touched by the logging industry, there is something for all levels of paddlers.
Dry Tortugas National Park is only accessible by boat or sea plane, but has much to offer travelers who make the journey.
One of the highlights is an old fort located on the island. The largest all-masonry fort in the U.S., Fort Jefferson was built with approximately 16 million bricks, is 45 feet tall and has eight-foot-thick walls.
And for those visitors more interested in nature, Benefield recommends a visit in the springtime, as the island is a stopping point for migrating birds. An overnight visit will also reward visitors with unobstructed views of the stars, thanks to the island’s remote location with nearly no light pollution.
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