Sea Camp Campground — Hotel in Cumberland Island

Camping at Sea Camp on Cumberland Island is a wonderful experience. My granddaughter and I just returned from four days and three nights. Our number one reaction was to plan to go back again this summer. We stayed totally on the south end of the island and had a lot more exploring to do. My review assumes you know that basics like you must make reservations to camp, access to the Island is only by ferry and services on the island are mostly non-existent. I want to just share some tips that would have been helpful to me to know and understand. Loading the gear onto the ferry isn’t that bad. Just remember if you bring it, you tote it. There are some carts that can be used for free at the St Mary’s dock and the unloading point is a little closer than it shows on the website map unless the map has been updated. Just put the stuff where the crew tells you to. Hard stuff like tubs or ice chests go in the back of the boat and soft stuff like backpacks or sleeping bags in the front. Drinking water quality is fine at Sea Camp. The super picky might not like it but it’s really okay. Don’t think that’s true further north on the island. The cold water showers are really cold but I washed up twice without total immersion. There are no trash cans or dumpsters. Every paper towel or wrapper must be put in a bag and carried off the island. We hung our trash bag from a limb. The toilets at Sea Camp are real commodes and stocked with toilet paper. However, I would carry a roll or two of TP just in case. Some things you just don’t want to be without. There is a sink for washing dishes but it is also cold water only. I heated water in a tea kettle and used a small wash pan for doing dishes. Garden carts can be rented at the dock for transporting gear to camp. Cost is $5 per cart for the duration of your stay. You can use the cart as needed but they must be left at the dock and not kept in your camp. We got two carts to carry our gear in and then back out. Carts can be used for hauling the firewood you purchase but NOT for scavenging wood. Regarding wood, it depends on how much campfire time you want. We wanted a long campfire in the evening and again in the morning. That took a lot for wood that could not be found without work. I hiked away from camp and got off the trail to find downed wood to carry back. I saw no need for a personal collapsible cart other than maybe hauling downed wood. A bow saw is a much better tool than an axe. It was a lot of work but we enjoyed the results. Yes, there be raccoons who will boldly go into your camp at night. The food boxes work great but I have an apple that was against the screen and is covered with raccoon claw marks. I also took a 15 gallon wheeled tool chest for overflow food that wouldn’t fit in the food box. I secured it with a combination lock so we were good until the night I forgot the lock the lock. Then next morning the box was open and a loaf of bread and a bag of oyster crackers eaten. The wrappers were left behind. Purchasing wood, ice, sodas and limited snacks from the ferry works fine but you have to know when the ferry will be at the dock and go on board to make the purchases. I would suggest taking cash for purchases but they do take cards. The cards are done as hand written transactions. Cash is simpler. Check other reviews regarding bikes. Regarding bugs, we didn’t have a problem in late March but I think they were beginning to come out. I had the bug spray ready and, yes, you need sunscreen. I will also add that if you are a runner the island is great. I ran to Dungeness once by the River Trail from the Sea Camp dock and once by running south on the Sea Camp Beach. It’s a good run when you are running down the beach and stop to take a pic of a black stallion on top of the dune. Read reviews, plan, plan, plan and you will have a great time. We were in Site 16 and loved it but it is close to the group sites. They were empty when...

My partner and I scheduled a 4 night camping reservation at Sea Camp (site 6) from June 26-30, 2024 and brought our own bikes. We confirmed our reservation back in Jan/Feb of the same year. I've been to the island for a day-trip in the past but hadn't camped overnight until now. The visit was magical... very HOT... and featured daily thunderstorms! We appreciated that the mosquitoes weren't bad at all, but left thinking that we would like to come back in March or October to experience a more moderate range of temperatures. The trip up to Plum Orchard for the mansion tour was interesting but not really worth the 18 mile roundtrip bike ride. I'd recommend it only for those who are particularly fascinated with historical homes and furnishings. One of my highlights was getting a glimpse of two white deer! It felt like encountering unicorns! Also, we would recommend having a second tent or shade structure for the beach. In the future, I would set that up so I could enjoy longer visits by the ocean without sunburn. Early morning and early evening when the sun is low in the sky is such a nice time to walk along the surf. You will almost always find the island's wild horses on the beach at...

The scenery is beautiful and the beach just a fairly short walk away down flat paths and a boardwalk. The campsites have several picnic tables and bear boxes, as well as a couple of gear poles for hanging packs. There are plenty of good locations for both tents and hammocks, and the huge twisty branches of the oak trees make it easy to tie up tarps over the picnic tables. The bathhouse was in good condition and clean, and provided a source of filtered water and outlets for charging electronics. As someone who usually prefers primative camping, this was far more luxury then I was expecting, but made camping over the Labor Day weekend with a small group a delight.

Make sure to keep your food in the bear boxes, because the raccoons are determined and clever. And if a horse wanderers into your campsite, just let him graze. We named him Steve McQueen Carnegie III, and he won't bother you as long as you keep...