Here%26#39;s the scoop on our adventure.
Three friends and I drove down to go camping at the Sea Camp on Cumberland Island this past weekend. Camping is limited on the island and you have to make reservations for fall and spring (the best time to go weather wise) months in advance. Mind you, this was only the second time I%26#39;d ever gone camping in my life!
We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Kingsland, about 10 minutes from St. Marys (where you catch the ferry to CI). It was probably the best Hampton I%26#39;d ever stayed in. Very clean, little wear and tear. Breakfast was great. Two of us went to St. Mary%26#39;s on the water for dinner at Trolley%26#39;s (per BBQman%26#39;s suggestion). The gnats zeroed in on us since we were dining outside as darkness fell. We wandered around the little downtown area. It was really enjoyable seeing some of the historic homes and churches.
One word of advice. Whatever you take onto CI, you have to take out. That means you have to bring all your trash out with you. Also, try to pack light as you have to get it all on the ferry. There were four gals and two of us (not me!) packed way too much. You also have to make ferry reservations in advance. No cars, bikes or dogs allowed. You can go for the day, too. A large pack of boy scouts were on our ferry. Once you get to Sea Camp, they have big carts you can use to lug your gear to the camp site. Those are lifesavers!
We camped at Sea Camp and loved it. The live oaks form a really funky canopy overhead. There are other sites on the island as well but take longer to hike to. For Sea Camp, try to get site #13 if you like being close to the beach. We were right next to the path onto the beach. They do have bathhouses but only cold water showers. We heated some hot water on our stove to take with us for our showers to ease the agony. It got cool at night and got up to high 70s during the day.
You can rent bikes, which is what we did on Sunday, and rode to see the ruins of the Dungenes mansion built by Thomas Carnegie in the 1880s. It%26#39;s more fun than walking to it and you can cover more of the island that way. Plum Orchard, a Carnegie mansion that one of the children had, is fully intact and open for tours on certain weekends. We also caught sight of a few wild horses grazing here and there. They are shaggy and a bit rough, so don%26#39;t expect the kind of horses you see in ';Man from Snowy River.'; They were so cool to see.
Each camp site (and they are roomy) has a cage mounted on a box so you can store food. That%26#39;s to keep the very clever racoons from getting to it. If you take a cooler, make sure you secure it with bungee cords to the picnic table bench before you go to bed. They have figured out how to get into unsecured coolers. And on our last night, we heard them trying to get into our cooler! They were not successful. Armadilloes are also common guests at night.
I personally think March was the perfect time to go because it was not unbearably hot yet. The two that went in May two years ago found it to be much better in March. October would probably be a great time as well.
If anyone has questions, I%26#39;ll try to answer them.
Cumberland Island Camping
Peachy, sounds like you had a great trip! That%26#39;s pretty ambitious for your 2nd time camping!
There seems to be so little info on the %26#39;net about Cumberland, so some of my questions may seem a little crazy...
Is the water on the island safe for drinking, or is it for showers only? Been trying to figure out if we have to pack in our water also. Are there campfire rings at each site? (I wasn%26#39;t sure since you mentioned using a stove.)
What kind of restaurant is Trolley%26#39;s? We%26#39;re also looking for a good place to eat for the night before we head to the island!
That is a great idea about the bungee cords to keep the raccoons out of the cooler. I wouldn%26#39;t have thought about that. I%26#39;ve camped on Jekyll Island several times and almost forgot about those brave raccoons that jumped onto the picnic table with me as I was eating dinner!
Is there anything you wish you%26#39;d have taken with you that you forgot or didn%26#39;t know to bring?
Cumberland Island Camping
Dplady, your questions are quite reasonable, actually. Having had two of us that had been there before helped immeasurably.
Is the water on the island safe for drinking, or is it for showers only?
The water is safe for drinking but it does have a bit of a bite. We brought little packets of Crystal Light and Arizona Iced Tea to mix with it. Just mix and shake in a bottle. But if you are picky about water, bring your own. One of our overpackers brought a lot of it and we did drink that, too.
Are there campfire rings at each site? (I wasn%26#39;t sure since you mentioned using a stove.)
Every Seacamp site I saw had a campfire ring. We just had a one ring burner with a small propane canister for heating water and chilli, for frying breakfast bacon. They do sell firewood at the ranger station but we brought our own. You can also use whatever wood is dead and on the ground.
Trolley%26#39;s has a variety of items, from fried shrimp to wings to burgers. It is very casual. You can sit on the deck/balcony outside and enjoy the sunset. Just beware of the gnats when the sun starts going down! There are a few other restaurants nearby that are more upscale but I don%26#39;t know anything about them.
One helpful thing we did was get Subway sandwiches the night before (we took the 9 a.m. trolley on Sat.) and store them in the hotel room refrigerator. In the morning, we put them in our cooler so that when we arrived at our campsite and set up, we had lunch all ready to eat when we were done.
Be sure to bring sunscreen, bug repellent and flip flops for the shower. The frogs sometimes join you in the shower, btw. Plus take a bandana you can soak in cold water when you%26#39;re exploring the island. That saved me when it got kinda hot on Sunday.
One other thing. You can only rent a bike when the ferry has come in. They handle the money for it. So you have to be at the dock at those times to rent one. An adult bike is $16 for the day and $20 if you want to keep it overnight.
Let me know if you have other questions. My in-laws live in Knoxville, by the way. My husband grew up there and we visit often.:-)
Peachy! Your trip report is terrific! I am so glad you had fun!
Cumberland Island is a magical place...I fell in love with it years ago!
If you ever go back in the summer time - remember one thing - BUG-SPRAY!!!!
anyway.... great report and glad you had an enjoyable time... now your an offical outdoors-man (woman!)...
Peachy, thanks for the care in answering my questions. I%26#39;m sure we will have a much smoother trip! I had no idea about the bike rentals... that%26#39;s an insider tip that%26#39;s good to know. I am also surprised to hear that they sell firewood. That is reassuring because it sure is a bummer trying to gather wood near a campground that%26#39;s already been picked over!
Trolley%26#39;s sounds like the plan. I love outdoor casual dining. Forget upscale! This is vacation!
Speaking of bugs, do you have any of the Off spray that comes in the spritzer bottle with the pink cap? A friend introduced me to this and I love it because it doesn%26#39;t stink like regular bug sprays... it%26#39;s fruity!
Yes, I have seen you floating around the Knoxville forums. They%26#39;ve been kinda dead lately.
Ready for more questions? Hee hee...
I forgot to ask you about where you left your car when you boarded the ferry. Does the dock have parking and is there a charge for it?
And the hubby wants to know... can you hear the ocean from the campground? :)
Were you aware that the St. Mary%26#39;s river is one of the few in North America that run south to north?
Outdoorswoman am I! :-)
I%26#39;ve not tried the fruity-smelling Off! yet, but I%26#39;ll have to give that a try next time. That would be a definite improvement over what I smelled like. The aroma of sunscreen, sweat and bug spray is not very inviting!
Yes, there is parking available near the dock. I suggest that you park in front of the dock area and unload there, leave someone there with it, then go park. The parking is across the street from the blue building where you buy tickets, down past Trolley%26#39;s. It%26#39;s pretty clearly marked. And there%26#39;s no charge, which was a nice surprise.
Yes, you can hear the ocean from your camp site. It was a wonderful sound to fall asleep to.
We did learn something interesting. The ranger, Renee, told us there are now hot/cold showers at some campground on the far side of the island. I cannot remember which camp it was, but it%26#39;s a bit of a distance from Sea Camp. She told us about one guy who rented a bike just to get to that part of the island to take a shower. Just something to keep in mind if things get really bad. ;-)
Thank you SO much!
We%26#39;re leaving April 20 and I%26#39;m soooo ready to go. Some quiet lonely beach R%26amp;R is just what I need!
I really appreciate your help. I hope to be able to return the favor to others once I get back!
