Cumberland Island camping report

My husband and I got back on Monday from our first trip to Cumberland Island. It was a runaway success!

We stayed at the Econolodge in Kingsland on the night before we boarded the ferry. I was extremely pleased with our motel which was spotless and appeared to be newly renovated. We only paid 50 bucks, and I%26#39;ve spent double that in other places and not been as satisfied. For dinner that night, we ate at Trolley%26#39;s in St. Mary%26#39;s. I don%26#39;t think my experience there was quite as good as others%26#39; on this forum, but we still had an okay time. We sat outside, and I think every drunk in St. Mary%26#39;s was there that night also... the atmosphere got a little more risque than we would%26#39;ve preferred. Our meals were good -- not great, not bad, just average-good. Not sure I%26#39;d go again, but it sure beats a chain restaurant, and the view was nice!

If you%26#39;re a nature lover, you can%26#39;t go wrong with Cumberland! We spotted deer, horses (even an albino), dolphins, crabs, raccoons, armadillos, shooting stars, and the most amazing lightning bug show every night. No kidding, the light show those bugs put on... wow, it was just gorgeous! We loved falling asleep to the sound of the ocean, and waking up to sweet bird songs in the morning.

On the first day we hiked to Dungeness and around the south boardwalk, the second we hiked to Stafford Beach, and the third we laid on the beach the entire day. The weather was excellent - warm with highs in the lower 80%26#39;s, and in the 60%26#39;s at night. We did swim a bit even though the ocean was still cold, but the sun quickly warmed us up when we got out.

A few tips from our experience:

- We couldn%26#39;t find anyone selling firewood, so we foraged for our own. If you do that, plan on borrowing one of the wheelbarrows at the dock and looking for wood on your way back toward camp... the campground%26#39;s already been picked over for firewood, as most campgrounds are.

- If you require a lot to be comfortable or entertained, you might just want to take a day trip or go somewhere else.

- I also wouldn%26#39;t recommend this trip to a group of people who are all brand-new at camping. If you%26#39;re not familiar with the gear or what you might need, you%26#39;re setting yourself up for problems since you can%26#39;t just run to Wal-Mart. I also saw the opposite happen with people who brought everything but their kitchen sink, and they looked miserable trying to get all that stuff to camp!

- Check often for ticks! Even though we were covered in bug spray, they kept landing on both of us, and my husband actually got bitten.

- Leave the makeup at home. Everyone else looks grungy, too... just go with it! And we didn%26#39;t brave the cold showers, but wet wipes work wonders for the desperate.

My thanks to Peachyswan for your help in planning our trip... everything was just as you said and prevented some unwelcome surprises!

I already can%26#39;t wait to go back!

Cumberland Island camping report

Thanks so much for the report! I%26#39;m sorry that Trolley%26#39;s turned a little wild. We were there fairly early in the evening so we missed anything like that. But I can see how it could get that way.

Glad you had a good stay at the Econolodge. Sounds like the Kingsland hotels are really trying to keep customers happy because the the Hampton was a similar situation for us. It%26#39;s a comfort to know that there are options!

I guess they%26#39;re not selling firewood anymore. Maybe they sell it until they run out. Sorry if that posed a problem for you.

So glad you had a great time!

Cumberland Island camping report

Hey, the firewood and Trolley%26#39;s weren%26#39;t problems at all. We go with the flow!