cumberland island national seashore

Absolutely amazing day. It was a bit foggy the day we went but still amazing. Be prepared to do some walking if you don't do the bus tour but in my opinion walking is the way to go. Pack in your lunch and drinks because there is nothing on the island other than some water fountains.

This is the place to go on the east coast. It was cold when we went but we made the best of it. We took the tour with the park ranger which was very informative. Then we wondered and found wild horses, wild turkeys that are not spooked easily, and some wild pigs. Please keep in mind that these are wild animals just doing there thing so try not to spook them out. The beach is very beautiful. I wanted to camp there but it was to cold last march

Have visited this area of Florida dozens of times over the past 18 yrs, but never have visited Cumberland Island. Decided to visit it during this trip with wife, son and his friend. Took the ferry to island around noon and returned around 5pm. Be prepared to bring food and drinks to island. There are snacks to purchase on the ferry, but only drinking fountains on the island. Bike rental is first come first serve so this is the downside to taking the noon ferry. We were able to get bikes and enjoyed having them. The rental is steep at $16/ bike for the day. We ventured out on the bikes to see the remains of the Carnegie home, wild horses and other sites on the island. There are QR Codes at several locations that give you audio and visual info on the area so make sure your battery is charged. We were told we could ride the bikes on the beach though we could not find an access point that did not say no bikes beyond this point. We ventured to the beach and at low tide was nice looping back towards Sea Camp on the beach. Some odd things: - All trash has to be taken off the island- No snacks on the island- Signage could be a bit better- Not all remains on the island have info posted- Some areas could be better picked upGlad we made the trip and felt 4 hrs was plenty of time, but make sure you make the ferry. We believe we saw some that missed it as we left the island. Any questions let me know.

We stayed in St. Marys to be close to the ferry. Better make reservations for the ferry because the island is worth it. take some food and water/drink. Comfortable walking shoes and sunscreen.

So much to do and see on Cumberland - beautiful beaches, hiking trails, wildlife, ruins, etc. If you go for the day rent a bike so you can get around to see more. Primitive camping and backpacking is exceptional. One of my favorite places to visit.

This is a non-review as at this point we may never get to Cumberland Island. We arrived at Crooked Creek State Park late Friday afternoon and started figuring out our schedule for the next few days. Unfortunately, the phone in reservation for the Cumberland Island ferry closes at 4 pm and is not open on weekends. No online system is available but the website mentioned fax requests- did we just step back in time? So Saturday morning we went down to the ferry and put our names on a wait list for the 11:45 ferry. At 11:30 the ranger announced that no one from the wait list could get on as the Island had reached its visitor limit for today. We asked if tomorrow's ferries were full- she replied that she would not know until 8am the next morning when she received the reservation list. Could we put our name on the waitist now? No, we would have to come in at 8am. So - to recap, no online reservation system, no phone reservation system until Monday( for Tuesday at the earliest), and no information on whether the wait list is even a viable option. FRUSTRATION We have the highest regard for the National Park Service and the huge challenges it faces in protecting and providing access to the parks. We have never encountered this level of inefficiency. Someone at the top needs to read these reviews.

i would have liked to spent more time here. The wild horses, lush ruins and quite beaches all made for a relaxing day. If i come back it would be nice to camp or stay in the hotel. There was more to experiance then I had time.

This is a great way to see the entire Island. We did this on 2/22/2015. First some advice. Make reservations weeks in advance for the ferry and the tour. While you can do it on-line, the best way is by phone because there is a limit on the number of people who can be on the Island at any one time (300) and the NPS tour is limited. We had 8 in our van.Next, make sure you have bug spray; the NoSeeUms have the ferry schedules down pat and they'll attack every part of you that isn't protected, the second you step off the ferry. We wore shorts, didn't follow the NPS advice and were swatting the unseen critters every time we exited the van. Not a huge problem but a real nuisance.There is no food available on the Island so bring a nice lunch. No trash cans so plan to cart your trash back to the mainland. Bring your own water! Restrooms are scarce and bare-bone. Go when you can. On the van tour, you'll be out for an hour+ before you hit the first pee stop (important info for seniors!).We saw and spoke to several campers and backpackers and Mrs. D and I admire them greatly. To Mrs. D, camping is staying at a Motel 6! But camping and hiking are big on the Ilsand and, if you're into that, you couldn't find a better spot. The Lands & Legacies Tour is about 6 hours (the van has AC and heat). Our guide/driver was Robin and he was great. Several of us wanted to tip him but he simply wouldn't accept a tip (NPS regs). We think he went out-of-his way to give us all a great experience on Cumberland. That also goes for the NPS people on the mainland and on the Island - kudos to the NPS.Others have wonderfully described what there is to see and do on Cumberland so I won't reiterate all that now. Frankly, it was a real gem and we're extremely glad we took the guided tour and saw the entire Island. We were staying in St. Simons Island and it was a short hour's drive to St. Marys and the ferry.Being sniors we got a slight break on the tour cost. We also have the National Parks card which meant a $4 break, too. But, whatever the cost, don't miss this. It's worth every penny!

We took a three day (2 night) backpacking trip. Amazing to find wilderness with an advertised 50 miles of hiking trails on the South Georgia Coast. Cumberland is the only barrier island wilderness in the U.S. Parts of island originally used for cotton plantations, later much of it was owned by the Carnegie family and later donated to the National Park Service-NPS. There are remnant mansions to visit and a few private inholdings that are off limits to public! You make reservations through a NPS concessionaire; check out website for details. Access to island is by a ferry and limited to 300 people a day including campers at the developed Sea Camp, day users and backpackers--with number limits on each camping site. February use was lighter than the max altho several Boy Scout troups had all the sites filled up the Sat. we left. Features: giant oaks with Spanish moss, palmettos, pines, beautiful inland lakes & bogs and 17 miles of beach, much on the Atlantic and some on the Intercoastal Waterway. Wildlife sighted: many many armadillos, wild turkeys, a fox, fearless disinterested horses. First few miles of trail pretty good but a little confusing. Trails on north end of of island are more problematic--some have not been cleared for some time. Some are along old dikes on the bogs; good unless flooded. A sandy road along island is available for cycling and backup hiking. That road is also used by Park Service and private landowners. It's an odd "wilderness experience" when a Park Ranger drives up to your camp! The concessionaire offers a popular "legacy" tour in vehicles of the mansions, an old settlement of freed African slaves (descendants of plantation workers who later worked in the mansions), & other island features. For wilderness backpackers, NPS requires 2 briefings, one at St. Marys before the ferry crossing and another at ranger office on the island. Both are pretty general, mostly their rules and not too helpful. No info on trail condition & their best hiking map is a hand drawn copy hard to read/use. We didn't have Georgia GPS map coverage but hope it is better than park map. We had chosen the farthest wilderness camping site (BrickHill - 10 miles from the ranger station) for our first night with a closer site -- Yankee Paradise -- for our 2nd night. We were told we had Brick Hill to ourselves but NPS later assigned about 15 Boy Scouts to share the area; they arrived late at night and were as noisy and messy as one might expect. However we had the inland trails all to ourselves. For a multi-day hiking loop of the island I would recommend heading north on the Parallel Trail & Yankee Paradise Trail, then the main road to turn southeast on North Cut Road & then returning south via Roller Coaster Trail (really nice berm trail along inland lakes system) & Lost Trail to Yankee Paradise (returning on PT) or on nice day, could finish the south leg hiking down the beach to Sea Camp. The other north end trails are not very good. Bathrooms and cold showers available at Sea Camp Beach; bathrooms also at several sites in south end of island; none in wilderness. NPS offers rules for burying waste (NOT followed by some of the Boy Scouts in our camp, unfortunately!) Potable water available at Sea Camp; there are a few water pumps in the wilderness shown on NPS maps; that water should be filtered.

I have been to a lot of beaches in different parts of the world, and it doesn't get much better than this for scenery. I can't wait to come back. Visitors need to be fit to hoof it around the island. It was pretty chilly in mid-February; next time I would choose Summer for a visit. Book early, boat fills up fast. A true national treasure.

We went there on Valentines day and took the ferry over. Since there had been a crash on I-95 we took a special tour of the island given by a park ranger. We visited the Carnegie, Goodyear s and all the mansion in the island. We even saw the church where John jr JkF son got married. The tour lasted all day. We never thought the day would by so fast. The park ranger was amazing with his stories. The animals around were great too.

Instead of a hotel getaway for Valentines Day, I booked passage for my valentine and me on the Cumberland Island ferry. We enjoy hiking, and the weather was cool and sunny, perfect for a nature day. The park rangers give a great and thorough orientation before the ferry boarding, emphasizing the dangers of the wild horses on the island and the importance of being on time for the return ferry ride. We arrived first at the Dungeness dock, where the Carnegie family guests arrived a century ago. Since the crowd disembarked there, we stayed on the ferry and got off at Sea Camp. A short walk east across the island brought us to a beautiful and almost deserted beach. We rested, had a picnic, and then went shelling. About 1.5 miles south, the dune crossing brings you to Dungeness, the ruins of the Carnegie plantation. A guided tour is offered via a cell phone call. Cumberland is perfect for a day trip away from the city, but primitive camping is also available. Overall, I believe Cumberland Island should be on the bucket list of anyone in the area.

I went out to Cumberland Island for the day, although there is the option to camp for up to 7 days. My goal was to photograph the wild horses that reside there. I was pleasantly surprised with all the other wildlife available to get photos of too. Along with the wild horses that were not hard to find. I also got great shots of wild turkeys, deer and a proliferation of birds. When I was not being entertained by the wildlife, there was all kinds of old ruins and landscapes to photograph. I was very impressed with the staff on the island. Everyone I talked to was outgoing, helpful, friendly and full of information, even the law enforcement personnel. There is a van tour that I would take next time I go. You need to make reservations for that and this trip was a spur of the moment for me. So it was full the day I went.You will need to take any food you want to eat as there is nothing to buy on the island. I was told there was junk food and drinks on the fairy boat one could buy if one wished. Make sure you have comfortable shoes.

Avoid crowds and fake Atlanta for true Georgia natural beauty. Take the ferry from st. Mary's and spend the day on this natural island. Be prepared to take all your needs there is nothing on the island. Fantastic view of forest, shore, ocean and marsh.

While there are no amusement rides, or trolleys, the nature lover in me wanted to never leave.Between the 150ish wild horses, the dolphins, other wildlife, beautiful beaches, and the Live Oak canopy covered trails and paths, to the historical buildings and ruins (most built by the Carnegies),and the beautiful cleared camping sites near the beach boardwalk, and the information can almost be overloading to try to take in in one trip.The ferry ride over was very relaxing, the bicycles were great, and I plan on returning a lot!!!I did see the ferry personnel take a few bikes back with them for repair) the person I talked to actually hand picked a few bikes for me to try before I rented. Some of the bikes there need work, so as the saying goes, try it before you buy it (or rent it).