Congaree National Park’s 50th-anniversary weekend puts the story of its preservation alongside the trees that inspired it. On Sunday, Oct. 18, park volunteer John Cely—one of the original advocates for protecting this South Carolina landscape—is scheduled to lead a guided hike to some of Congaree’s champion-sized trees.
The free, approximately three-hour hike is set to begin at 9 a.m. at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center in Hopkins, South Carolina. The route may cover up to five miles off trail in designated wilderness. The National Park Service recommends sturdy closed-toe footwear and water; registration is required.
A walk through the work of preservation
Cely’s place on the anniversary schedule links today’s visitors with the community effort that helped protect Congaree. The National Park Service describes him as a park volunteer and an original advocate for preserving the landscape. He is scheduled to guide the group among the large trees and share why he and fellow advocates worked to save the floodplain forest.
Earlier preservation efforts included newspaper editor Harry Hampton, who explored the floodplain and wrote in support of conserving it. In the 1970s, activists from South Carolina and across the country campaigned for federal protection. Congress established Congaree Swamp National Monument in 1976; the site became Congaree National Park in 2003.
The park protects more than 26,000 acres of bottomland and upland forest. The National Park Service calls it the largest intact area of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. Its anniversary program invites neighbors and visitors to connect the park’s living landscape with the people who helped preserve it.
Other Sunday programs include ranger talks about the park’s founding and history, a big-tree hike with Cely, and a commemorative ceremony at 12:15 p.m. in the visitor center auditorium. The park’s schedule lists the anniversary programs as free; the guided hike has its own registration requirement.
For people gathering in Hopkins this weekend, the anniversary offers a close-up look at what a half-century of protection can preserve—and a chance to hear from a volunteer who helped make that future possible.
Sources
- 50th Anniversary Big Tree Hike with John Cely — National Park Service
- Congaree National Park Invites Public to Commemorate its 50th Anniversary — National Park Service
- People in the Floodplain — National Park Service
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