Discover Cumberland Island: Where Spanish Moss Sways and Wild Horses Roam
Tucked away on the southern coast of Georgia State is a barrier island that feels like stepping into another world. Welcome to Cumberland Island, a truly magical destination—it’s wild, unspoiled, and full of natural beauty, with ecosystems that flourish and landscapes that feel completely untouched. We all fell completely in love.
The island is about 18 miles long and only accessible by ferry, which adds a sense of adventure to your visit and organically limits crowds. There are no paved roads, no shops, and just one historic inn at the far north end of the island. It’s quiet, remote, and incredibly scenic.
Separated from the mainland by a narrow river, Cumberland Island helps protect Georgia’s coast and creates marshlands that support so much life.
With over 10,000 acres of protected wilderness, the island is home to an incredible range of environments—dense coastal forests, wide sandy beaches, rolling dunes, salt marshes, and grassy meadows. You’ll also find historic ruins, roaming wildlife (wild horses, anyone?), and endless trails to discover.
Ready to explore? Here’s what to know before you go and what to expect once you’re there.
Options for Visiting
There are 3 ways to spend time on Cumberland:
- Visit as a day trip
- Camp in one of the four campgrounds for several nights
- Stay at the Greyfield Inn: A charmingly historic, all-inclusive inn isolated on the north end of the island. The inn is delightfully romantic but comes at a pretty penny (rooms are $1000-1200/night)
Taking the Ferry
Whether you’re coming for the day or camping overnight, you’ll need to take the public ferry from the nearby town of St. Mary’s. (The inn has its own private ferry).
You’ll want to make a reservation ahead of time—the ferry does sell out, especially during peak seasons. If you’re planning to bring bikes over, either bring your own or rent from a shop in town. But don’t wait—bike spots on the ferry are limited and can fill quickly, so definitely book early if that’s part of your plan.
In addition to the ferry ticket, there’s also a separate $15 National Park entrance fee per adult (or free with an interagency pass), since this is a national wilderness and part of the National Park System. Camping also requires an extra permit and fee if you’re staying overnight.
Once you check in for the ferry, you’ll receive a map of the island—hang onto this. It’s super helpful for planning your route, whether you’re exploring on foot or by bike.
Sometimes park rangers come over on the ferry and offer short, guided walking tours of different areas of interest, which can be a great way to learn a bit more about the island’s history and ecology. If this interests you, you can find out what is available for the day when you arrive.
Ferry Schedules
Ferry times change throughout the year, but there are usually two morning loops as well as a late afternoon loop. The ferry ride lasts 45 minutes. You can get more information about the ferry schedule here.
When we visited, we took the 9 am ferry out of St. Mary’s, arriving at Cumberland at 9:45 am. We had 7 hours to explore the island and then took the last 4:45 pm ferry back to St. Mary’s.
Seven hours was the perfect amount of time to very leisurely explore the Southend Loop, and we spent extra time watching horses, walking and relaxing on the beach, taking pictures, and admiring the armadillos.
Watch for dolphins as you ferry over—we saw a few in the St. Mary River as we were coming back in the afternoon!
Day Tripping to Cumberland
If you’re coming to Cumberland for the day, you’ll need to make some decisions, since there’s really no way to see and do everything on the island with just a day.
Remember how we said Cumberland is 18 miles long? Well, many of the sites are clustered together, with quite a few things to see at the very south end and some other sites towards the north end.
There are 2 ferry docks on Cumberland, but they are both on the southern end of the island (right by Sea Camp Ranger Station and Ice House Museum on the map above) and just 0.5 miles away from each other.
This makes the southern end much more accessible and doable for day trips, but there are still several options you could consider for how to spend your time on Cumberland:
- Walk the Southend Loop: There’s a phenomenal 4.5-mile Southend Loop Trail that takes you through tons of highlights at the southern end of the island, and you can easily spend all day enjoying the different areas.
- Bring a bike and either just bike around the southern end, or try to get to the northern end to see the historic sites up there. This is a pretty far bike ride, so you’ll want to make sure you are in good biking shape and the roads aren’t muddy.
- You can also do a guided all-day shuttle bus tour of the entire island, hitting all the main sites without having to do too much walking (more on this later).
Exploring the Southend Loop
If you’re doing a day trip to Cumberland, I highly recommend prioritizing the Southend Loop. It gives you a little taste of everything—forest, beach, dunes, and ruins. You’ll only see a fraction of the entire island, but the large variety of terrain makes you feel like you’ve done a ton of exploring.
This is what we did, and I can’t recommend it enough. Here’s what you’ll experience on the Southend Loop.
First, you’ll get off the ferry at Dungeness Dock by the Ice House Museum. This will be the first of the two ferry stops as you approach Cumberland.
Ice House Museum
This small, one-room museum is literally steps from the dock, so it’s worth a quick pop-in before you start exploring the rest of the island. This wooden building indeed stored ice in the early 1900’s—rather shocking in the hot, humid southern Georgia climate.
The ice was cut and transported from frozen lakes in northern states and packed in straw and sawdust to provide a type of “refrigeration” for the island’s few wealthy residents.
The museum also honors the Gullah Geechee people who lived and worked on Cumberland Island. Descended from enslaved Africans brought to the southeastern coast, the Gullah Geechee developed a distinct culture shaped by West African traditions and life along the Atlantic barrier islands. This culture is present throughout coastal Georgia, including Savannah.
Their language, craftsmanship, and community ties remain an important part of the island’s history and legacy.
Dungeness Duck Pond
Originally part of the Carnegie estate, this cute little pond is surrounded by trees and bushes. It’s a short offshoot from the trail to the Dungeness Ruins, but we enjoyed the quick stop.
Dungeness Ruins
The Dungeness Ruins are one of the most picturesque spots on Cumberland Island. Weathered stone and broken brick are all that’s left of the Carnegie mansion, but the setting still feels romantic and grand.
You get your first glimpse from the old stone gate — a charming, slightly overgrown entrance that perfectly frames the view down the lane. Palm trees and live oaks line the path, and the ruins rise at the end, open to the sky and surrounded by lawn.
The scale of the place is striking. The main house was enormous, and the estate once included over a dozen other buildings scattered across the grounds. Even in silence, it’s easy to imagine how impressive it must’ve been in its prime.
There’s a quiet beauty in how nature has started to reclaim the space — vines creeping up the walls, sunlight pouring through empty windows.
Dungeness History
Plus, the ruins have a fascinating history that goes back to the early days of the island’s settlement.
The first Dungeness was built in the late 1700s by Catherine Greene, widow of Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene. He had acquired half of Cumberland Island and began clearing the forest (a travesty, honestly). After his death, Catherine and her new husband built a massive four-story mansion, which later burned in 1866 and stood in ruins for years.
In the 1880s, Thomas Carnegie, younger brother of Andrew Carnegie, bought the land and began building a new version of Dungeness for his wife Lucy and their nine children.
This wasn’t just a mansion — it was a full estate, with over a dozen outbuildings, including a huge Recreation Hall. (Most of these outbuildings are still standing on the estate today). At its peak, 200 to 300 servants lived and worked here.
By the time Lucy died in 1916, the house had grown to an enormous 35,000 square feet. It was abandoned in 1924 and later destroyed by fire in 1959 — leaving behind the evocative ruins that still stand today.
Wild Horses
The wild horses are one of Cumberland Island’s most iconic features. Descended from domesticated horses brought over when the island was still inhabited, they’ve since gone fully feral — and now freely roam the beaches, forests, and fields.
Dungeness is one of the best spots to see them, especially around the lawn and near the South Cemetery, where they often graze in small groups. In winter, they tend to linger near the ruins. In summer, they’re practically everywhere on the island — you’ll have a hard time not spotting them.
While they look like tame animals, remember that the horses are wild and should not be approached. Give them a wide berth and pay attention to your surroundings when admiring them.
Greene-Miller Cemetery
Also known as the South Cemetery, this small family burial ground is tucked just south of the Dungeness ruins. It’s the final resting place of Catharine Greene-Miller — the woman who first built Dungeness — along with her daughter and son-in-law.
Two of the Carnegie family’s servants are also buried nearby, just outside the cemetery walls.
Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee was once buried here as well. He stopped at Dungeness to recover from illness while traveling through the area but passed away on the island. His remains were later moved to Lexington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Marsh Boardwalk and Interdune Boardwalk
These two back-to-back boardwalks make for a really fun and scenic walk from the Dungeness area out to the beach.
The first, Marsh Boarwalk, runs along the edge of the marsh, where you’ll spot oysters clustered in the mud and all kinds of birds picking their way through the grasses and streams.
The second, Interdune Boardwalk, winds through a mix of maritime forest and sand dunes, eventually opening up to a wide expanse of rolling dunes near the shoreline. It’s a beautiful and peaceful stretch, and somehow, boardwalks just make everything a little more picturesque.
Beach
The beach on Cumberland Island is incredible — wide, flat, and covered in soft sand. It stretches for miles along the island’s east coast with no development in sight, just uninterrupted shoreline as far as you can see.
For the designated loop walk, you’ll follow the beach for about 1.5 miles, but the entire coastline is open to explore. And with so few visitors allowed on the island each day, it’s easy to find a section where you’ll have the sand entirely to yourself.
One of the best surprises? You’re actually allowed to collect seashells and shark teeth here — a rare perk on National Park land (where normally you’re not allowed to remove even a blade of grass). We found tons of fun shells as we strolled along, enjoying the sea breeze and pretty dunes.
The “Enchanted Forest”
After leaving the beach, you’ll take a short boardwalk inland and then enter what we affectionately nicknamed the “Enchanted Forest.” This part of the trail feels like something out of a storybook, somewhere where fairies and mythical woodland creatures would live.
The live oaks grow thick and low, their tangled limbs stretching into a canopy of archways over the trail. Spanish moss drapes from the branches, and ferns blanket the forest floor. I’m telling you—it was magic!
This section of trail cuts straight across the island and goes right past Sea Camp campground. You’ll eventually intersect with the island’s “main road” — still dirt, but wider — which runs all the way from the north to south on the island.
Sea Camp Dock and Ranger Station
Sea Camp Dock is back on the western coast off the island, and once you reach here, you’ll almost be finished with the Southend Loop. Just turn south and walk another 0.8 miles back along the coastal River Trail to finish the loop at the Dungeness Dock by the Ice House Museum.
If you’re short on time or running low on energy, Sea Camp Dock is also a convenient spot to catch the ferry back — no need to do the full loop if you’re ready to call it a day. The ferry stops at both Sea Camp and Ice Museum on every cycle.
The North End of the Island
Want to explore more of Cumberland besides the Southend Loop? Farther north, you can visit Stafford Cemetery, Plum Orchard Mansion, and the First African Baptist Church.
Stafford Cemetery
Stafford Cemetery holds the grave of Robert Stafford, an islander who became one of the wealthiest landowners on Cumberland during the Civil War. The cemetery is four miles north of Sea Camp Dock and would be visited en route to Plum Orchard.
Plum Orchard Mansion
Built in 1898 for George and Margaret Carnegie, Plum Orchard was one of four mansions constructed on Cumberland Island for the Carnegie children. After George’s death in 1921, his sister Nancy and her husband moved in.
Designed in the Georgian Revival style, the mansion served as a winter residence and is now open for tours throughout the day.
The mansion is 7 miles north of Sea Camp Dock, plan for 3-5 hours for the round trip journey by bike.
The First African Baptist Church
This one-room church was established in 1893 by emancipated African American residents of the island and their families. The church served as a free place of worship and community center for the Northend community known as the Settlement, which became a hub of Gullah Geechee culture. It was also the site of the wedding of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette in 1996.
Being almost the farthest point north in Cumberland, nearly 15 miles one way from Sea Camp Dock, it is not recommended for day trip visitors to attempt to visit.
The Lands and Legacy Tour
The Lands and Legacy Tour is the only way to see all of Cumberland Island’s major sites in a single day. You’ll ride in a guided shuttle that stops at key locations like the Dungeness Ruins, Plum Orchard Mansion, the Settlement, the First African Baptist Church, and more.
It’s a great option if you want to cover a lot of ground without biking or walking long distances. One of the biggest perks is the guide — you’ll get in-depth history and context that you might miss on your own.
The trade-off is that it’s not self-paced, and you won’t have the freedom to explore or wander as you go. But if your goal is to see as much as possible in one visit or if you have limited mobility, the tour is a good option.
Biking on Cumberland
Biking on Cumberland Island looks incredibly idyllic — pedaling down quiet dirt lanes under the shade of live oaks, with Spanish moss swaying overhead.
Most of the island is bike accessible, and the roads are packed dirt, making for a relatively easy ride. Just be mindful after rain, as the trails can get muddy. There are a few areas where bikes aren’t allowed, so you’ll need to park and explore on foot, but overall, biking is one of the best ways to cover ground and experience the island’s peaceful, wild beauty.
If you’re just doing the southern loop on a day trip, you don’t need a bike. However, if you want to try to make it up to Plum Orchard on a day trip, you’ll definitely need bikes (plan for 3-5 hours to make the round trip ride).
And if you’re camping, I would absolutely bring bikes to better explore the island.
Animals on Cumberland
The wild horses are the stars of the show, but they’re far from the only animals you might see on Cumberland.
Feral hogs and bobcats live on the island too, though sightings are rare. What you will almost definitely see? Armadillos — and lots of them!
We spotted five during our visit, and they were surprisingly adorable. They seem completely unbothered by people, snuffling through the leaves right next to the trail, totally focused on their hunt for food.
Getting to watch them up close as they went about their business was an unexpected (and seriously delightful) part of the Cumberland experience.
Amenities on Cumberland
Along the Southend Loop, you’ll find four bathrooms and four freshwater refill stations, which makes it relatively easy to stay comfortable as you explore the island.
If you’re heading farther north, there are also bathroom facilities and fresh water at Plum Orchard, Stafford Beach Camp, and the First African Baptist Church. That said, it’s still a good idea to bring plenty of your own water — it’s easy to underestimate how much you’ll need, and you don’t want to get caught without it.
Camping at Cumberland Island
Camping on Cumberland looks incredible — remote, peaceful, and surrounded by nature. I only saw the sites at Sea Camp, which is the closest campground to the ferry dock, but they were beautiful. Each site was tucked beneath live oaks and surrounded by ferns, right in the area we dubbed The Enchanted Forest.
Sea Camp offers a nice mix of comfort and wilderness. There are flush toilets, showers, running water, a dishwashing sink, and even a small covered area with a few outlets. It still feels remote, but the amenities are surprisingly solid. There are also gear carts near the dock to help carry your things the half-mile to camp.
The other campgrounds (Stafford Beach, Hickory Hill, Yankee Paradise, Brickhill Bluff) require longer hikes to reach, but they’re much farther away from where day trippers go, and thus feel even more secluded — perfect if you’re looking for solitude. Stafford Beach has water and bathrooms, but the other three are very primitive sites.
If you want to camp, though, the sites can go really fast, particularly in high season, and especially for Sea Camp. (However, there were open sites when we visited on a weekend in February). You can get more information and make camp reservations here.
A Few Practical Tips
Bring bug spray and sunscreen
Download offline maps ahead of time. We had cell service on much of the south end, but there are still dead zones and it’s nice to be able to see exactly where you are.
Give yourself plenty of time to return to the ferry — it will leave without you.
Book ferry tickets in advance, especially during weekends or high season.
Don’t climb on the dunes — it’s prohibited and causes serious damage to the fragile ecosystem.
The Wrap Up
Cumberland Island honestly blew me away. The mix of landscapes — beach, forest, marsh, dunes —plus the wild horses, the ruins, and that magical “Enchanted Forest” stretch made it just such a cool experience.
Doing it as a day trip was extremely easy and convenient but I kept thinking how fun it would be to come back with my family and spend a few nights camping—I’m already itching to go back for a longer visit.
Overall, Cumberland was one of those destinations that just felt really special from start to finish.
