Cumberland Island National Seashore

Cumberland Island National Seashore

For my first travel post, I thought I would do one on one of my favorite places we visited - Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia. This place is definitely worth a visit!

We started off at the picturesque little town of St. Mary's, an historical coastal village in southeast Georgia. Not only is this a beautiful little town, but it is the gateway to Cumberland Island National Seashore. From St. Mary's you can take a ferry over to Cumberland Island. Make sure to check the ferry schedule, and make reservations ahead of time - only a limited number of people are allowed on the island each day. You can check the official National Park Cumberland Island site for further information.

It was a beautiful day in March as we set off from St. Mary's on the Cumberland Queen. We were continually followed by a flock of seagulls, pelicans, and several dolphins who kept us company while frolicking alongside the boat. It's a relaxing 45 minute boat ride to and from the island. Cumberland Island is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. The island is only 17 miles long and 1 1/2 to 3 miles wide.

Once you arrive on the island, you will notice that it is much more than just a seashore. Here you are greeted with a forest of live oaks, draping spanish moss swaying in the breeze, and sunlight filtering down onto a path that winds through the forest, leading to who knows what exciting discovery around each bend. You may also notice that it is very quiet here - you are missing the sound of cars, for there is wonderfully a lack of automobiles on this island. Since there is no transportation on the island, you must plan on walking. There are bikes to rent at the Sea Camp - please check with the ferry deck hands, the park service does not handle bike rentals. There are no paved roads, grocery stores, shops or food on the island - so please bring all essentials that you will need. This is indeed a peaceful and quiet getaway. There are souvenirs and food for purchase on the ferry.

You may choose to follow a Ranger on a guided walk to the Dungeness Ruins (takes about an hour), or you may take out on your own (trail maps available). Whatever option you choose, please keep track of time so you do not miss your ride back to St. Mary's. The most popular trail, the Dungeness trail, is a 3 1/2 mile loop. We opted to start off by following the Ranger on the guided tour. She was very informative on the island, its history and its flora and fauna. The tour started out by the boat dock and wound it's way through the forest of live oaks till we reached the ruins of Dungeness.

Dungeness was a 59-room Scottish castle built for Thomas and Lucy Carnegie in 1884. Thomas Carnegie died before Dungeness was completed, leaving his wife Lucy, and their nine children. Lucy was a prominent figure on the island, and eventually owned 90% of the island. She also saw the construction of four additional homes on the island for her children. The last use of Dungeness was in 1920 at Nancy Carnegie's marriage. The beautiful mansion then remained empty till it burned down in 1959. The ruins though, remain hauntingly beautiful, and is one of the most visited sites on the island. There are many other buildings and ruins surrounding the mansion, including the recreation building, carriage house and servants quarters. There is even a graveyard of old luxury vehicles that were once used on the island.







To see a picture of the mansion before it burned, click here.

As you travel further down the Dungeness trail, you will come across the Greene-Miller Cemetery. Among those buried here was Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee, Revolutionary War General.

One of the beauties of this island, is all the wildlife you can encounter here. We were surprised to see wild turkeys and armadillos lazily walking across our path. There are also over 300 species of birds on the island.


The most famous animals on the island are the beautiful wild horses. They seem to help symbolize the wild unspoiled spirit of the island. In 1785, General Nathanael Greene wrote that at least 200 horses and mules roamed the island. No one knows for sure how they got there, but are possibly descendants of the domestic horses bought here centuries ago by Spanish missionaries. About 150 wild horses roam the island today. Most of the horses we saw on this day were grazing and laying down near the ruins of Dungeness. These horses are beautiful to look at and admire, and although we never got too close, they seemed to tolerate humans roaming around pretty well without getting too spooked. On the island, food is not all that plentiful for the horses; they mostly dine on sea oats and beach grasses and on the grasses that are kept mown around the ruins of Dungeness.

The Dungeness trail eventually leads you to a great view of the salt marshes that surround a large portion of the island. The marshes support large populations of fish, shellfish, plants and birdlife.















The trail continues by following a boardwalk over the salt marshes till you reach the magnificant white sand dunes. There are two sets of dunes, a smaller set nearer the beach and larger dunes farther back with a interdune meadow between. Some dunes can even reach 40 feet high. Now you hear the gentle lapping of the waves, smell the fresh salt air, and enjoy the beauty of the sea oats swaying in the breeze. It is here that you can sometimes get a good picture of the native wildlife on the island by noting all the animal tracks in the sand.




















The path through the dunes leads you now to the wide expanse of beach and the Atlantic Ocean. We now head north along the beach enjoying the solitude, the ocean breeze and the rolling waves. Along the shoreline we explored a variety of shells, sea creatures, driftwood, sand dollars, as well as many of the shore birds. Here you can also swim, sunbathe, build sandcastles, or just relax and enjoy. You are allowed to collect shark teeth and unoccupied shells on the beach. We found quite an array of interesting shells to remember our trip by. We could have stayed here forever in this peaceful solitude, hardly encountering a soul. The distance to the seacamp boardwalk is slightly more than a mile from where you first come onto the beach, so gauge your time wisely so as not to miss the boat.





Heading back to seacamp from the beach, you once again enter a sub-tropical paradise under the canopy of live oak trees and palms. The sounds of birds and scurrying animals replaces the sounds of the ocean. Here you will find a cooler retreat from the sunny beaches, much welcomed in the warmer months. Here you may also run into squirrels, racoons, whitetail deer, armadillos and wild pigs.





Your trail will finally end at the Seacamp Dock. There is a visitor center here with nature displays and a video of the island you can watch . You can also relax in the rocking chairs on the porch while waiting for the ferry boat. We had a delightful stay here on Cumberland Island, and only wish it had lasted longer.


Although we only had time to take the Dungeness trail on this trip, we only covered the very south end of the island. The island itself has over 50 miles of hiking trails. If you do want to stay longer, there are several camping areas to choose from. The north end of the island also has many interesting things to see, such as Plum Orchard, an 1898 mansion built for the Carnegie's son. You can usually take tours of the Mansion, but it was being refurbished when we were there. You can also visit the First African Baptist Church that was established in 1893 and site to John F. Kennedy Jr.'s wedding. If you don't want to rough it, you can stay at the Historic Greyfield Inn where 11 cozy rooms await you. Fishing is allowed and a winter deer hunt is conducted to keep the population under control - please check for restrictions on these activities.


Cumberland Island offers a rare chance to step back in time; a chance to see what the barrier islands looked like before development began. Even here, time and sand are slowing erasing man's attempt at development and their fallen dreams. The forest and sand dunes have once again taken over, allowing for a unique experience to explore the natural world and the ruins of man's attempt to tame the island. There are discoveries around every turn, and you won't be disappointed.

Travel tips for a day long adventure:

• Make sure you make reservations ahead of time
• The ferry will not carry bicycles, kayaks or pets
• Pack a lunch, snacks and water for the day (there are four drinking fountains on the island)
• Wear good walking shoes
• Bring sunglasses, suntan lotion & rain gear
• Don't forget the camera!
• We brought a little bag for shell collecting
• Don't approach or feed the feral horses
• Check for ticks (in early March we didn't see any)
• There are no lifeguards if you choose to swim
• The ruins are unstable and not safe to roam around in
• We left on the first ferry of the day, and took the last ferry of the day back - we felt we had plenty of time to enjoy the island and not feel too rushed. But do keep track of time so as not to miss the last ferry back
• 70% of the island is owned by the National Park service, but parts of the island is still private - please do not trespass on the private land
• My daughter enjoyed working on her Junior Ranger badge here

Click here for a map of Cumberland Island.

While visiting Cumberland National Seashore, we stayed at Crooked River State Park, Georgia - 7 miles north of St. Mary's, Georgia.

Crooked River State Park is a beautiful park with 500 acres of tall pines, salt marshes and field of palmettos. We ended up with a spacious campsite nestled next to the woods. There are a total of 62 campsites and 11 cottages. There is also a nature center and hiking trails.

Hope you get to visit this beautiful oasis soon! When you do let me know what your favorite thing was about visiting the island.