Cumberland Island National Seashore

We finally used my son’s 4th Grade National Park Pass to visit a park near us, Cumberland Island National Seashore. If you read about our experience at Crooked River State Park you already know that we have been wanting to visit this island. We literally missed the boat on our last camping trip because we didn’t plan the ferry trip. We did get our reservations for the ferry ahead of time for this trip, so no mishaps.

How to Get to Cumberland Island

If you plan on visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore you need to do so by boat. The easiest way is the ferry in Saint Marys, Georgia. The Cumberland Island Ferry runs a tight schedule, visit their website to view the times the ferry arrives and departs the island. It changes with the seasons. There is a fee for the ferry. There is also a fee to visit the island, unless you have your park pass!

Exploring Cumberland Island

I had three things I wanted to see when I visited the island. The Dungeness Ruins, wild horses and the beach. If you take the Southend Loop Walk, you will see definitely see two of these. We lucked out with the wild horses.

The island is huge, we didn’t have time to fully explore it. There is so much to see and explore especially the Northern section of the island. There are tours available, check the ferry’s website with the link above for more information.

We explored on our own, following the map of the South Loop Walk. This is a little over 4 miles of hiking. It doesn’t seem like much, but the next day my legs were hurting from the hike. Wear comfortable shoes.

Dungeness Ruins

Dungeness was built in 1884 by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie. It stands on the site of another Dungeness mansion built by Catharine Greene in 1803. Fire destroyed the mansion above in 1959. The eerie shell of Dungeness is all that remains of this once stately mansion.

Wild horses now roam the grounds of Dungeness.

Dungeness Beach

The hike to the beach is longer than you think, but so worth it. This is a long stretch of sand to walk once you get there. You are not allowed to climb on the dunes. Only certain points, marked by black and white posts, are designated as entrance and exits to the beach.

This was a great way to spend the afternoon. Walking the beach, picking up shells, which you are allowed to take home. This was such a beautiful, peaceful beach to relax on and listen to the ocean waves.

Helpful Tips

A few things to keep in mind when visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore to make your visit more comfortable.

There are no restaurants or snack shops on the island. You must pack your own food and water. You are going to be on the island for several hours, having a packed lunch is going to be necessary.

There are no trashcans. You must bring back all your trash with you on the ferry. There are trashcans available as soon as you get off the ferry in Saint Marys.

Pack sunscreen and bug spray. Those sand gnats are not only annoying, they bite.

Do not feed the animals on the island or try to pet them. That goes for the wild horses as well. The horses roam wherever they want, just give them space. They pretty much ignored us.

Tent camping is available. Visit the Cumberland Island National Seashore website for more information.

Enjoy your visit to Cumberland Island. Take your time and explore this beautiful island and discover its mysteries for yourself.  Check out the video below to get peak of the island.