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WHAT IS IT?Located along the Atlantic Coast, Cumberland Island is Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island. The Island is noted by its large maritime forest as well as the ruins of a Thomas Carnegie mansion.
BEAUTY (5/10)
We did not travel out to Cumberland Island so we are assuming that it looks like the other sea islands that we visited on the Georgia and northern Florida coasts. The Park map shows that salt-water marshes dominate the Island’s western half. An old road borders the marsh to the west and a maritime forest to the east along the Island’s entire length. Live oak trees whose branches are dramatically draped by Spanish moss populate the forest. The trees empty out onto a narrow white sand beach and the whipping Atlantic Ocean.
Wild horses, feral pigs, armadillos and white-tailed deer are just a few of the many species that inhabit the Park. The Island was designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1986.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (2/10)
As far as we know, not much ever happened on the Island. People have lived here and have altered the landscape. A few permanent houses still dot the Park Service land, as does an abandoned lighthouse, ruins of slave cabins and the hollowed out exterior of an abandoned mansion.
CROWDS (4/10)
Only 300 people are allowed on the Island at one time, so plan ahead. Ferry reservations can be made up to six months in advance. The numerical limitation could make your vacation stressful. We really do not know.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (1/5)
Cumberland Island NS is so inaccessible that the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. chose to get married here in order to shake the paparazzi.
During the summer, a ferry leaves once a day to the Island from St. Marys, Georgia. St. Marys is 10 miles east of Interstate 95, Exit 3 along Georgia Route 30. The only other way to the Island is via private kayak.
Exploration possibilities are limited too; some of the Island is still private property. If you wish to camp, reservations are required and necessitate a backcountry permit.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (4/5)
The bookstore was the one aspect of the Cumberland Island NS that was not pared down for winter. It was fully-stocked and offered a nice selection of books topically ranging from Georgia’s shores and lighthouses to life on Southern plantations, from all perspectives. Cumberland Island NS’s bookstore was an unlikely place to find a few NPS-related books that we had never seen before, such as Permenter and Bigley’s National Parks with Kids.
COSTS (1/5)
Park entry is $4 per person. The ferry from St. Marys to the National Seashore costs $15 per person round trip. In Atlanta, we saw 3-day guided kayak trips advertised for $375. What a steep price to pay for seclusion.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (1/5)
No Rangers helped us at either the Visitor Center or the Cumberland Island NS Museum, both located in St. Marys.
TOURS/CLASSES (2/10)
The Cumberland Island NS Museum holds assorted Carnegie artifacts - an elaborate candlestick, a horse carriage, a few tennis rackets and even a stuffed feral pig – and little else. It is not an essential stop and not the official Visitor Center.
Daily tours are given on the Island’s Dock once the tourist season begins.
FUN (1/10)Under no circumstances should you come here in February. Cold rain, bi-weekly ferry service and a sub-par Museum experience. Summer could be fun if you are willing to bring your own kayak, supplies and equipment. To us it seemed like the worst of all barrier island worlds.
You need to be self-sufficient but you are not in an untamed wilderness; there are roads and gilded age mansions here. There is limited and difficult access but it’s close enough to shore and there is such limited space for exploration on the island that you will never have complete solitude. It is too much of a monetary and time commitment for a day trip, but there is little to do on the Island to warrant a long stay. Finally, Cumberland Island is a National Seashore that still includes private homes and lands that effectively cut of portions of the Island from foot traffic.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (2/10)
Only if you live nearby, have a sea kayak and want to explore the ruins of a Carnegie mansion. Otherwise, there are myriad other barrier island National Seashores, beach resorts, small towns and wildlife refuges up and down the Atlantic Coast all of which will prove to be a much easier and more rewarding vacation trip.
TOTAL 23/80
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