NPS Unit Count: 83
Hey there Adventurers! Sorry for the delay. There were hurricanes, etc! Fort Pulaski National Monument was the next stop of Bark Ranger Maisy’s grand summer tour! When I began this whole National Parks thing several years ago, I always envisioned completing all the “big” parks and doing the smaller units only if they were an easy. I have since altered my opinion on that somewhat! Some of the “smaller” NPS units are quite interesting and can offer a lengthy exploration! Additionally, Bark Ranger programs are more likely to be found at those sites! Fort Pulaski is one of those smaller units that I very much enjoyed visiting.
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located between Savannah, GA, and Tybee island on Cockspur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah River. The location was strategically important to the United States after The War of 1812. The Savannah River leads to a major port and the US wanted to shore up defenses here. During the Civil War, Georgia utilized the fort for Confederate purposes. Ultimately, the Union was able to take the fort at the end of 1861, blocking the port of Savannah from Confederate use.
Today the fort seems well preserved. It was in disrepair in the 1920s and the war department handed it over to the National Park Service for preservation. It was then briefly used for military purposes, again, during World War 2 but relinquished back to the NPS afterward and has been a National Monument ever since.
The site is actually really neat! The fort is totally dog accessible, including the upper floor. I chose not to take Bark Ranger Maisy up there. She doesn’t always act right and I didn’t need an incident of a dog, and possibly a human tumbling over the edge! The restorations are very nicely done with several rooms restored to their old purposes. There is a gift shop inside the fort. In addition to the visitor center, a Bark Ranger tag can be procured at a kiosk outside this gift shop. The grounds around the fort are all walkable and dog friendly. There is a trail on the periphery that goes about a 2 mile round trip out to a view of a lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is a ways off and there is really no way to access it this way.
Maisy and I really enjoyed this site! We spent several hours here exploring and learning the history of the fort! If you are looking for a fleshed out Bark Ranger Program, they no longer do that, but they do still have the nice wooden tags, and the entire area, except the visitor center, is dog friendly! Well worth the trip!
Next up: Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and Congaree National Park
The Parks Adventurer 