View Full Version : Cumberland Island National Seashore
2009ThruHiker
02-07-2006, 14:20
Looking for input from others who have camped here. Thanks! Were leaving feb 16th.:banana
Footslogger
02-07-2006, 15:02
Hiked/camped there 3 times in the 90's. This time of year will probably be OK but it's pretty buggy in spring/summer. I've stayed in the campground right near the boat dock, the "primitive" campground ( I think they call it) and once we hiked north several miles and just stealthed. The best by far was the northern hike. We saw a lot of wildlife and several dear walked right up to us while we were eating lunch.
Be sure and plan some time to explore the beach area. We found a lot of shark's teeth.
'Slogger
When I lived in south GA I would go about once a month to hike or camp. Great place to wander around and explore. Lots of horses, hogs, alligators, RACCOONS, armadillos, and MOSQUITOES! Several different types of camping areas and lots of open and deserted beaches. The best part for me was that it's all flat hiking! Fall and early winter or spring is the best times to go.
Here is a link to pictures
http://www.georgiahikes.com/gallery/view_album.asp?Ad_ID=76&CatLevel=2&Cat1_ID=6&Cat2_ID=&Cat3_ID=&Cat4_ID=&FromSearch=True&SearchPage=%2Fgallery%2Fdefault%2Easp%3FCatLevel%3 D2%26Cat1%5FID%3D6
Here is a link to the NPS site
http://www.nps.gov/cuis/
One of my favorite places in the world! This is an excellent time to visit, with cool / cold nights and warm days. At this time of year the ferry ride to the island can be downright cold. My last visit was in late Feb - early March and the shelling on the Atlantic side was awesome, with lots of starfish, whelks, shark's eyes, lettered olives. There was one hiker who had a whelk the size of a gallon jug!
Stafford Beach campsite has great Live Oaks for stringing up a hammock. The raccoons there can be pretty tenacious about trying to get your food when it's hanging. Armadillos are freakin' evrywhere, but they won't bother anything ... they're pretty amusing to watch.
Dolphins have been known to swim up and visit the Brick Hill campsite (can't find that on the AT!), so that's pretty cool!
Once you get up into the middle of the island I think you have better chances of seeing alligators and that's allegedly where the bigger snakes are as well, so be careful stepping through the dried Palmetto leaves. CI is supposedly home to some humongous rattlesnakes.
With all of the ruins, the old cemeteries, the beach, shells, birds, animals, Maritime forest, etc. it's a photographer's dream. I'm planning on going there in about three weeks and I can't wait!
Whistler
02-07-2006, 23:49
Cumberland is quite nice. I was there last March--lots of bugs even then. I definitely wish I'd remembered my headnet. I had a lot of rainy weather, but it was still a good bit of fun. Nothing like a thunderstorm on an exposed beach at high tide! Unlike 2Ply, my least favorite part was the flatness.
I didn't think Dungeness area was that cool [they wouldn't let me climb on any crumbling fireplaces!], but worth an hour at least. I think the northern half of the island is much, much better. I spent my first night up at Brickhill Bluff, which has some nice spots overlooking the river. The second night was at Stafford. Nondescript, but plenty of spots available. I really liked the Roller Coaster trail, especially the sand dune area near Lake Whitney.
The armadilloes are great. The horses crap everywhere, but it's pretty neat to see them hanging out in the wild.
Have fun!
-Mark
It's a long time ago, but I remember a neat place. I've seen otters, turkeys, and water moccasins there. The water had a strong sulfur taste.
Tree-girl
02-08-2006, 14:09
It's really beautiful, but there were MOSQITOES, as 2ply said. I think this has to do w/ time of year, so Feb. might be a very good time to go. There were also raccoons, a few walked right into our camp in broad daylight, stopped a few feet away from us and looked affronted that we were making noises at them, lol. But actually, there were no nighttime visits or raids, so they weren't that bad. When I went, it was off-season for tourists and the beach was pretty much empty. It's a great place! Have fun!
My wife and I just went in mid November and had a wonderful time. We hiked the 3.5 miles to Stafford Beach and used it primarily because of the close proximity to the beach. Like mentioned before there are plenty of twisted oaks to hang your hammock from or to set a tent under. We hiked all the way up to the north end of the island via the main road and then back down through the interior of the island the second day. On our final day we ended up hiking back to the docks via the beach, man what a wonderful feeling that was. Barefoot in the sand/water, wind at our backs and just enough sun to fight of the cool breeze. The island is filled with wildlife as mentioned by others. We had horses come up to our campsite in mornings and found them just about everywhere we went. Seeing them on the beach eating seaoates was memorable moment (how often do you see that?). We came across plenty of snakes, armadillos, vultures, turkeys, deer, dolphin... However, in my experience we didn't have any racoons come around looking for handouts. If you go make sure you take the opportunity to stroll along the beach at night. Enjoy!
Tha Wookie
02-08-2006, 19:29
-one of the coolest places in the country! :cool:
I stayed there for a couple nights in fall one year. Just an all around rewarding experience. Met some friends who sea-kayaked in on a 4 night trip. I took the ferry and brought in re-supply. We took the empty kayaks to the beach and surfed the breakers. This place is something else. I also recall racoons would absolutely destroy your food if they could get to it, and there were armadillos everywhere. The wild horses were amazing.
where is this place sounds real nice!ky
It's a barrier island off the coast of Georgia right at the GA/FL line. The only way to get to it is by ferry, private boat/kayak. It's a National Park and with the exception of a small elite hotel (if you would call it that) and a few secluded private homes there is no development on it whatesoever (new at least). I believe someone posted a link to it that gives a lot of info on it and its history if not here it is again http://www.nps.gov/cuis/. It really is a treasure. I'm even considering going back with a buddy or two between 9 Mar & 12 Mar. I just hope that we get some cooler weather here in GA to fight off some of the mosquitos (GA state bird).
I include a few more pics, I have many others but they are too large to post on the thread.
very nice place looks like a cool place to just relax after a long hike thank you!:sun ky
Whistler
02-08-2006, 21:18
Here are a few of my favorites from the couple days I was there.
-Mark
527
529
530
531
532
Whistler, Nice pictures. Last one reminded me of the terrible sand burrs that were all over the place. Those things were scary.:cool:
Whistler
02-15-2006, 00:34
Thanks. I saw a lot of those in the dunes area near Lake Whitney. I kind of stopped paying attention and got 'lost' for a while. So pulled out the camera and did some close-ups of the local foliage until it started raining again. After that, I made a break for tree line to get out of the dunes, then did some cross-country to get back to the North Cut Road. Ah, good times.
-Mark