Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island is the largest and southernmost barrier island off the coast of Georgia. It is a unique environment that offers adventurers an opportunity to be immersed in history, nature, and wonder. It is hard to describe the feeling you get from spending time on Cumberland Island, but once it hooks you, you will want to go back over and over again.
My first trip
The first time I ever heard of Cumberland Island, it was day one of my vertebrate zoology class. The island was scheduled to be the culmination of a field study experience that also included time on the Appalachian Trail near Damascus, VA, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and Crooked River State Park in St. Marys, GA.
The trip to the island was set up for the end of July. The end of July in south Georgia on a barrier island can be brutal. And it was. I set up my campsite along with four or five other students and our two professors. Besides vertebrate zoology, we were studying invertebrates and ecology. Everyday we had certain activities to do and write about, and then we would meet as a class to compare and learn more about what we had observed. Nighttime was for the bugs, both studying and swatting them. We did things like set up a white sheet illuminated by a flashlight to see what creepy-crawlies were attracted to it. This left the middle, and the hottest, part of the day to ourselves. This time was meant to be spent resting and trying to get out of the heat. I, however, decided this was my time to go looking for alligators. I waded through the sloughs, plodded through the marshes, and crawled through the undergrowth everyday until the bottoms of my feet resembled hamburger meat. I did not see an alligator that time. You are probably already chomping at the bit to go, right? Something about Cumberland Island got into my soul. That was 26 years ago and I have been going ever since. Not in July, though. Never in July.
Over the years
I have been to Cumberland Island just about every different way possible. I have taken my family, I have taken groups of 30 of my students at a time, and I have done many solo trips. I get excited every year around the end July or the beginning of August (not because I am going to Cumberland at that time) because that is when the campsite reservations for January and February open. I get on there early in the morning exactly six months ahead of my arrival date and choose my perfect campsite. Sea Camp is the closest site to the ranger station where the ferry docks. It is about a half mile walk from the dock to Sea Camp, which is nestled up to the dunes on the beach side of the island. Once I have my site set up, I pack my lunch and head back to the ranger station where the River Trail begins. This trail is about a mile long and comes out near the Icehouse Museum. The museum has been updated and gives a great history of the island’s inhabitants from the Timucuan tribe to the Carnegies. From here, it a short walk to the ruins of Dungeness, where I find my favorite picnic table and enjoy the views of the marsh and mansion. After lunch I either walk out to the beach or walk up the Parallel Trail back to Sea Camp. The following days are spent hiking on the trails, enjoying time on the beach, visiting the other Carnegie mansion sites, and listening to birds while sitting under the huge live oak trees at my campsite.
Tips for your trip
Planning: Campsites open up for Sea Camp and Stafford Beach six months ahead of your arrival date. The good ones go pretty fast for the winter and early spring. Reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov. My favorite sites at Sea Camp are 11, 10, and 13. These sites are right next to the dunes. Site 12 has a quick path to the newly renovated bath house. All of the sites are nice and private-ish, being separated by the palmettos. There are also two group sites that accommodate up to 20 people. When planning for water and food, know that Sea Camp is the only site where there is potable water available. Other sites like Stafford Beach and the primitive sites require you to treat the water before drinking. Campfires are only allowed at Sea Camp and Stafford Beach in the fire rings provided at each site. There are picnic tables and bear boxes at each site also. BE SURE TO LOCK UP ALL YOUR FOOD AT NIGHT AND ANYTIME YOU LEAVE THE SITE! The ferry service provides carts that you can use to get your stuff to your site so you can bring boxes and coolers to keep your food in. Think of Sea Camp as something between car-camping and backpacking. Stafford Beach sites are a three mile walk from the ranger station, so that is more of a true backpacking set up. I love to cook while camping, so I plan my meals out carefully with dishes like salmon and rice, spaghetti and meatballs, and ramen stir fry. Breakfast burritos and hot coffee are enjoyed in the morning before packing lunch and setting out on the day’s adventure. The ferry service sells ice and firewood. January and February temps can vary widely on Cumberland. I have had 80 degree days and 28 degree nights (not on the same day), and you can usually plan on at least one rainy day if you stay five to seven nights. Planning for the ferry: Ferry reservations can be made at www.cumberlandislandferry.com. You’ll need to purchase your departure and return tickets. If you are taking a bicycle, you have to add that to your ticket as well. In the winter months the ferry does not run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The first ferry is at 9:00am with check in at the office beginning at 8:00am. After you check in you can load your things onto the boat, park your car in the free, long-term lot, and then attend the ranger talk before boarding yourself. It is a 45 minute ride to the island along the St. Marys River and out to the Cumberland Sound. You will see dolphins and birds, and maybe even a submarine returning to the base in Kingsland. You can also book a Lands and Legacies Tour on the ferry website. This is great because it gets you to the north end of the island to see the First African Baptist Church, whereJFK Jr. got married, and then stops at Plum Orchard mansion for a guided tour that offers great insight into how the Carnegies lived on the island. On your departing day, you will need to be back at the ranger station dock by 9:45am for your return ferry at 10:15. Other ideas: This year we decided to stay in St. Marys an extra night. I always stay at the historic Riverview Hotel. It is right on the river and across from the office and dock. It is a beautiful hotel with an updated restaurant. Most of the rooms are named after famous people who stayed there. For example, I usually stay in the Rockefeller Room. There is a great restaurant within walking distance of the hotel called Locals Dockside that features fresh seafood and a unique atmosphere. I always make a grocery run the night before I get on the ferry for my cold items. That way I can pack my cooler and everything will stay cold longer.
A wild experience
While on the island you will see lots of wildlife. From the wild horses that roam the trails, marshes, and beaches, to feral hogs, armadillos, fallow and whitetail deer, raccoons, bobcat, and opossum are the common mammals you may see. You can see many resident and migratory birds in the forest and the marsh. If, like me, you want to see the alligators, you will need to go up to Willow Pond Trail. This trail is between Stafford Beach site and Plum Orchard. My favorite thing about the island, though, are the Live Oak trees. Some of these behemoths are between 600 and 800 years old. They are entire ecosystems hosting all sorts of plant, animal, fungi, and bacterial life. The Spanish Moss hanging from the trees and the Resurrection Fern occupying the massive limbs are captivating. Cumberland Island is somewhere you can go and truly feel transported back in time. It is somewhere that both tests you and comforts you. You can find both quiet solitude and friendly neighbors while you are camping. It is both inviting and intimidating. It is somewhere that is both near and far at the same time, and I love it.
Resources