Congaree National Park - Part 1 of 4: Camping

If you are new or less-experienced to camping and would otherwise pass over this, please read entirely! In order to encourage more people to come, I'm hoping to make this easier for those that don't have a lot of camping supplies as well, especially when it comes to meals and cooking.

Congaree National Park is best starting in October because the heat and bugs are mostly out, compared to summer months!

We are camping at the Longleaf Campground. I have reserved sites 09-12, which are in a cluster at the end of the row, so we will have neighboring sites on only one side of us. Each site will allow a maximum of 3 tents and 8 people, however I am currently limiting the attendees to a maximum of 16. This will enable some people to tent-share if they like, while others can remain solo. The sites were a mere $15 each per night, for a total of $120. The cost per-person will depend on how many people camp, as it will be divided equally. Payment to me is not required until the event takes place and we have a final head count.

I will update info here as needed, but here is some basic info to start:

• Check-in is as early as 2pm on Friday, and check-out is as late as 12pm on Sunday. I plan to arrive early to get set up and choose the best site for our main hangout area.
• This is mostly primitive camping with the exception of a shared campground toilet. There is no electric or water. However, we are going to cheat a little bit! If you are an experienced primitive camper and don't believe in anything I'm about to say, by all means you can still camp with no electric and cook only on your fire pit. It is my goal here to help accommodate those that are less-experienced and would otherwise not go or be on the fence. That said, the park allows parking of an RV in the parking lot for day use even though it cannot be camped in overnight. I will be bringing my small travel trailer that can run off-grid with solar and propane. We will have access to plenty of power for charging of phones without having to run car engines, refrigeration for anything that doesn’t do well on ice, a Keurig coffee machine, and an outdoor shower tent with 30 gallons of water to share. This means after the kayaking and hiking events of Saturday, anyone feeling the need for a hot shower before bed can do a quick rinse, but bring your own towel!
• Food & drink: Water jugs can be re-filled at the nearby Visitor’s Center filling station. I will bring a couple of those 5-gallon water cooler containers for drinking, washing hands, and rinsing cooking utensils. I will bring enough paper plates, bowls, plastic utensils, and solo cups for everyone. All snacks and drinks are bring-your-own, as well as most meals. If you're arriving late on Friday, it may be easiest just to grab something to eat on your way in. I plan to do a Lowcountry (shrimp) Boil for everyone on Saturday night. If you have a shrimp allergy, a plate can be pulled before the shrimp goes in the pot, as it is last. There is a fire ring and picnic table at each campsite. I will have a large propane griddle set up on the main hangout site for anyone to use in cooking their own food (pancakes, eggs, grilled veggies, etc). I also have a propane stovetop with pots and pans for boiling water (ramen), the Keurig can do instant hot water for oatmeal or hot chocolate, etc., and heaven forbid we use it camping...a microwave. I have all cooking utensils needed to aid in prepping your own meals, but all I ask is that you wash what you use.
• Ice & firewood are not available at the park. I will have a large cooler filled with bags of ice for drinks, so you only need to carry enough ice for your perishable items. Dead wood can be picked up from around the park for campfires, but I would like to ask each person to bring a minimum of one bundle of firewood. This firewood must be heat-treated and pest free, meaning it must be plastic-wrapped and purchased from a grocery store or similar...these are park rules!
• Activities: this is a short weekend trip, so obviously the main activity day is Saturday. There will be a hiking event in the morning and a kayaking event in the afternoon. It will be a lot to pack into one day, so you can pick and choose what you'd like to do. Separate events have been created for these. If you don't wish to camp, feel free to come up for just a day trip to hike and/or kayak. Kayak rentals are not provided by the park, so we must use a 3rd party that includes a guide and they bring the kayaks to the park on a trailer. Payment and registration for this is completely separate.

Release of Liability:‬ by RSVP-ing for this event, you agree this is a non-sanctioned event and Charleston Hiking & Outdoor Adventures group‭ admins are not responsible for accidents or injuries occurring.

Congaree National Park Camping (ignore reservation requirement…done)
Longleaf Campground