A Guide to the Synchronous Firefly Display at Congaree National Park
The synchronous firefly display at Congaree National Park is a magical, unforgettable experience that any national park nerd needs to add to their must do list!
This incredible display takes places each year near Columbia, South Carolina, and lasts for about 2 weeks.
It’s just one of a handful of places in North America that you can see this type of display, thanks to the unique ability of Photinus carolinus to time their blinking lights with one another.
Below, you’ll find out everything you need to plan your firefly experience from how to nab reservations to what to wear to how to spend your time in the national park.
Firefly display in Congaree National Park | Photo source
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Why Should You Visit the Congaree Firefly Display?
While this firefly display happens in a handful of other locations in the U.S., including in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Congaree National Park is the only place in South Carolina where you can see these incredible bugs.
While lightning bugs are incredibly interesting in any form, only one species tries to light up all at the same time, and that’s the main type of lightning bug you’ll see at Congaree.
That being said, there are 2-3 other species of lightning bugs in the national park which are active at the same time. You can tell which type of lightning bug you’re looking at based on where they are.
The ones lowest to the ground are the rarer synchronous ones, while the others higher in the tree canopy are the more common types of lightning bugs.
All of the species here are using their unique bioluminescence as part of an elaborate mating ritual. Scientists don’t completely understand the use of the synchronized lighting that the male Photinus carolinus uses, but know that it is used to attract the attention of the female lightning bugs in the area.
The flashes are bright white, and when the peak of each night’s display happens, it looks like the entire forest has been strung with thousands of tiny, blinking fairy lights in any direction you look.
As firefly populations worldwide dwindle, any interaction with fireflies is going to be come more special. That makes this concentrated display even more magical.
Getting Reservations for the Firefly Display at Congaree National Park
While Congaree National Park usually is free without any need for a reservation or permit, you’ll need to enter a lottery to nab a reservation for the special firefly nights.
Getting reservations to the Congaree fireflies display requires a little bit of luck and a lot of flexibility.
The reservations system for the firefly nights opens typically in early April, so you’ll want to be checking on the official NPS site for Congaree National Park to ensure you’ve got the most up-to-date information.
The park will also announce the lottery open and close dates on their Facebook and Instagram accounts, so give them a follow, too.
Once the lottery opens, you’ll need to go to the Recreation.gov site that is set up for the firefly lottery tickets.
A screenshot of the lottery landing page on Recreation.gov
On this page, you’ll be given the range of dates that are available for firefly viewing that year.
Keep in mind that the firefly display can occur as early at mid-May or last as late as mid-June. The lottery landing page will indicate the 8-10 day span that the park will be open exclusively for firefly viewing for that year.
Next, you’ll be asked to select the day(s) that you want to enter the lottery. You can choose up to 5 days within that year’s span, and I highly recommend filling up all 5 dates.
The more times you’re in the lottery, the more opportunity you have to grab those reservations!
You’ll pay a $1 processing fee for your lottery submissions. This fee is the same whether you just select one night for the lottery or you max out your lottery date choices.
NOTE: When applying for the reservation, use the name and email of the main contact person who will be present at the firefly display. The rangers will NOT let you in if your name and ID do not match with the reservation. The reservation person doesn’t have to be the driver of the vehicle as you enter, but you will need to be present in the car.
From there, you wait with your fingers crossed.
You’ll get an answer either way about 2 weeks later, but, hopefully, you’ll get the email telling you that you won the lottery for one of your selected dates.
An email that I was super happy to receive!
You’ll want to print out the PDF that will come attached to your confirmation email as this has the QR code that you’ll need to enter the event. Cell phone service is highly irregular out in the forest at Congaree, so printing or screenshotting that QR code is crucial.
You’ll receive another reminder email about the event about 5 day before your selected lottery date, but if you’re as excited as my family was, you’ll have long put the date in every calendar you own.
What to Expect at the Firefly Display
You’ve got your confirmation email in hand, and the day of your reservation has arrived. Now what?
Arrival at Congaree National Park
The national park will close early on the days that the firefly display is happening (usually around 4:30 PM). If you’re planning to adventure elsewhere in the park before doing the firefly trail, you’ll want to plan to leave the park and then return at the re-opening, which is between 6:30 and 7:00 PM. The exact time will be noted on your confirmation email.
You’ll see a group of the law enforcement park rangers just after you turn by the park’s entrance sign. They will have a barricade across National Park Road, and you’ll need to stop to show the attending ranger your reservation and ID.
There will be 2 rangers at this checkpoint to help move the traffic along.
If you don’t have a reservation or the ID doesn’t match the reservation name, you’ll be asked to turn around at this juncture.
If you’re prepared with the necessary documentation, you’ll then be allowed to pass into the park, and you’ll continue down National Park Road.
There is a second, more in-depth check-in station next to the Longleaf Campground parking lot, and we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes for this checkpoint.
There are 3 rangers simultaneously checking IDs and reservations in an effort to keep things moving as quickly as possible.
At this second checkpoint, your ID will be checked against a list of their expected nightly visitors. You’ll also receive a short spiel about what you’ll see and a pamphlet about the synchronous firefly display.
The number of visitors in your car will also be checked. You can have up to 8 people with each reservation but they:
must all be safely seated and buckled, and
must all be in the same vehicle.
NOTE: Although the event is carefully regulated with the lottery tickets, it is still very popular. Expect manageable crowds and a wait to get checked in.
Parking for the Congaree Fireflies
In order to maximize the available parking for the nightly crowds, attendants will guide you to your parking spot. This is different than visiting Congaree on any other day, where it’s a free for all.
Parking, as always, is free. In fact, this entire event is free other than the $1 lottery fee you paid back when you were trying to nab a date!
The Camping Kiddos with our red light flashlight
You’ll be asked if you’d prefer to pull-in or back-in, and the parking attendant will assign you an available spot based on your answer.
You’ll park in the lots that are closest to the Harry Hampton Visitors Center, all of which are easily accessible to the restrooms, gift shop, and the start of the boardwalk.
Everything is wheelchair and stroller accessible, though you will need to access the Firefly Trail from the opposite side of the picnic area as those using the boardwalk. (More on that below.)
Flashlights
At the second checkpoint on the way in, you’ll receive a red light flashlight, which is yours to keep.
Each car will receive 1 flashlight, but you’re welcome to bring other flashlights as long as they have a red light in them or are covered in red cellphone.
If you’d like to recycle your flashlight at the end of the night, place it in the bucket to the right of the women’s restroom.
What to Do at Congaree National Park during the Firefly Nights
Even though the fireflies are at the heart of this event, there’s plenty of other things to do on these special nights in Congaree National Park.
Information Tables
As you walk towards the visitors center from the parking area, you’ll see a small group of tables near the area between the restrooms and the gift shop.
These are run by volunteers from local organizations that have a vested interest in the park’s ecology and conservation, and they’re a great way to get information on both the event and Congaree in general.
Stop by the Xerces Society table to browse a variety of books about invertebrates and ask questions of the knowledgeable volunteers. They also have a wealth of information on fireflies, including multiple tables and books laid out for the public to peruse.
My kids enjoyed making the free firefly masks that the Xerces Society had available. The society had crayons, tape, scissors, and paper masks for a fun themed activity that helped pass the time until it got dark.
Harry Hallman Visitors Center
The visitors center covered walkway lit up in red lights on the night of the author’s visit to the Firefly Display
If you’d like to grab a souvenir or learn about the park, the visitors center is open until 9:45 PM on the firefly display nights.
There are firefly-themed items for sale in the gift shop including a great kids’ book on bioluminescence (Glow: The Wild Wonders of Bioluminescence by Jennifer R. Smith, if you’d like to read it to your kids ahead of time) and a Congaree fireflies poster.
You’ll also find general park items from coloring books to bumper stickers and a wide range of guidebooks and clothing.
If you plan to return to the park in the daytime for a longer visit, you can also grab your Junior Ranger booklet here. (If you’re new to the parks and don’t know what Junior Rangers are, check out our guide to the national parks for beginners!)
If this is your first visit to the park, I’d recommend watching the free movie located in the back of the visitors center. It runs continually until the shop closes, and it covers the highlights of why this property was protected as a national park.
Ranger table
Visitors chat with a Congaree park ranger
If you have questions about the firefly display or the park in general, stop by the ranger table at the back of the covered walkway near the start of the Boardwalk Trail.
From about 7 PM to 9 PM on the nights of the firefly display, a ranger will be stationed here, handing out maps of the park, sharing detailed information on the trails, and discussing the logistics of the fireflies.
Boardwalk Trail
While I wouldn’t try to delve too deeply into the park on one of these firefly nights, I would recommend walking at least a portion of the Boardwalk Trail.
If you head out as soon as the park re-opens for the evening, you can tackle most of the trail’s 2.5 mile loop, ending just in time to see the peak firefly display.
Watch that time carefully, and don’t miss out on the main reason you came to the park tonight! The Boardwalk Trail is available any time the park is open, but the firefly display is a rare opportunity.
In the dusky evening moments, you might be able to see some of the park’s crepuscular inhabitants, including squirrels, snakes, deer, and certain species of birds.
Firefly Trail
One of the signs around the park pointing to the Firefly Trail
This is really what you came here to see!
While you can see the occasional firefly anywhere in the park during the peak season, the best place to view them in the hundreds is on the Firefly Trail.
There are 2 ways to access the Firefly Trail.
The first is by going through the covered walkway in the visitors center and hanging a right to get onto the Boardwalk Trail. From here, you’ll follow the boardwalk as it slopes down slightly, and then head down the short staircase to your right just before the wide seating area.
From the bottom of the stairs, you can head right or left onto the Firefly Trail.
The second way to access the Firefly Trail is by heading to the left of the picnic shelter onto the Picnic Trail from the parking lot. You will bypass the visitors center this way.
For stroller and wheelchair accessibility, you’ll want to take the second path as it does not require you to navigate any stairs. If you are in a wheelchair or have a stroller, and you want to see the visitors center or use the restroom, the path from the parking lot to the visitors center and restrooms is also accessible.
Once you’re on the Firefly Trail (from either direction), the trail is made of packed dirt. On the years when the weather has been rainy in the days leading up to the event, the rangers will lay down straw to help keep the path passable.
NOTE: Peak viewing time is around 9 PM, so be sure to be on the trail a few minutes before then.
We decided to start out on the Firefly Trail early so that it would be easier to move around to a good viewing spot, and I’m glad we did.
The kids were able to spot some of the earlier fireflies before it got really dark, and it was magical to see more and more of the fireflies pop up as the evening got darker.
We did move around on the trail a bit to see how the different areas of the hike compared in terms of walkability and firefly concentration.
See the map below for where I think the best viewing is (noted with a star). Really, anywhere west of the boardwalk is going to make for some great viewing, but the further you go on the Bluff Trail, the fewer people you’ll have around you.
This means that you’ll be able to see both sides of the trail more easily, giving you a complete 360 degree view of the brilliantly flashing fireflies.
Throughout the trail, the other viewers were courteous, keeping their lights to a minimum and talking in hushed voices. The atmosphere that this created is hard to describe other than it felt as if everyone was in complete awe at what we were seeing.
Explore more of Congaree National Park!
Fireflies at Congaree Tips
What to wear
You’re out in nature doing some light hiking, so you’ll want to be comfortable.
My husband, kids, and I all wore our hiking boots, shoes, and sandals, which provided needed comfort. The trail is very dark towards the end of the firefly display, and you’ll want something that protects your foot from any twigs or roots on the trail.
Springtime is also the time when the baby snakes are moving around, and some of the native species here in South Carolina (like the copperhead) won’t move until you’ve nearly stepped on them—and sometimes, even not then.
I like a closed toed shoe to provide a minimum amount of protection on the off chance I run into one of them on the trails, but I also saw plenty of people with hiking sandals like Chacos or Tevas. For this event, I wore my Altra TIMP 4 trail running shoe, but I’ve also worn my Keen Newport H2 hiking sandals to Congaree on our many previous visits.
We also wore loose fitting, breezy clothes to help with the often humid conditions in the Midlands of South Carolina in late spring. The temperature will drop as the sun dips below the horizon, so I’d suggest bringing a light layer if you tend to get cold like I do.
Bug spray or no bug spray?
While the low lying areas of Congaree can get a bit buggy in the warmer months, this is one time that you might want to rethink adding a bunch of bug spray.
After all, bug spray is a repellant. But fireflies are bugs, too, and you are in a situation where you don’t want to repel them!
We didn’t apply bug spray of any kind on the night we went, and we weren’t bitten by a single bug. In fact, the Mosquito Meter in the visitors center was at a 3, which is the lowest it’s been other than the dead of winter on any of our visits to the park!
However, if your luck doesn’t hold out and you’re there when the Mosquito Meter is at high alert, you’ll want to apply your bug spray in the parking lot and never any closer to the fireflies.
Best Places to See the Fireflies
The fireflies will move from year to year, but they tend to stay concentrated just a few hundred yards from the Lower Boardwalk.
While the Firefly Trail runs along Bluff Trail to the Lower Boardwalk near the Visitors Center over to the Sims Trail, the highest concentration of fireflies is going to be on the Bluff Trail (which is called the Firefly Trail during this event).
This section of trail is west of the visitors center and includes roped off trail sections to help visitors know where to go.
I’ve included a star on what I think is the best area to view the highest number of fireflies on the map above.
Make sure to get down on the ground as this is where the species of synchronous fireflies will congregate.
Also, be sure to look on both sides of the trail as the fireflies in different locations will be blinking more furiously at different times.
