Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

On Tuesday, Nov. 19th we had a grand adventure on Cumberland Island.  Much of the island is a National Park.  We thought the island was uninhabited, but that's not completely true.  There is still some privately owned and inhabited property on the island.  The only way to get to the island is by ferry, and visitors can only come to the island on foot.  The Cumberland Island Ferry is pricey, $30/person round trip.  The ferry leaves from St. Mary's Visitor's Center.   

The Cumberland Queen II Ferry

Carol taking in the beautiful view on the ferry.

Kelly and Carol - the only ones riding on the outer upper deck. 

The ferry service is separate from the National Park Service so there is also a $10/person park fee.  You can camp on the island if you want to carry all your gear to the campground... we were happy to explore by renting bikes ($16/day/bike) and walking on the paths where bikes were prohibited.  Our ferry landed at 12:30 pm and we had to be back at the dock at 4:30pm. 

Starting off down the "Main Road" on the island by bike.

Yup, that's me 😃

We had heard about the wild horses on the island, the only truly feral horses (receiving no food, veterinary care or human intervention) on the east coast.  We were really excited to see several horses during our adventure.

The island has rich history dating back centuries.  In the late 1700's Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene and his wife Catherine built a large home and named it Dungeness.  In 1884 Thomas and Lucy Carnegie built a new home on the Dungeness foundations.  The ruins of their mansion remain today.  In the 1970's the Carnegie family donated the property to the National Park Foundation.

Dungeness ruins from the side, looking at the front of the home.

Looking at the front of Dungeness ruins from the shore.

View from Dungeness ruins looking towards the shore.

Old photograph of Dungeness from the 1950's prior to falling into disrepair.

The oldest standing structure on Cumberland Island.  Built for the Greene's gardener around 1800.  
A tabby house.  Tabby – made from a combination of shells, sand, water, and lime.

There are several old service buildings on the island.  This is the laundry house. 
We were able to view inside the building because it now is used for public restrooms and water fountain.

When we had finished exploring the ruins and surrounding property, we decided to hike to the beach.  The distance from where we had to leave our bikes to the shore was about a 1 mile walk.  There is a wooden boardwalk part of the way.  It's a gorgeous place to explore!

Inter-dune boardwalk

I wasn't moving quite as fast as Carol 

Magnificent blue sky

Looking north up the pristine beach.

Hoof prints on the beach.

Returning on the Dungeness Trail from the Atlantic Ocean

Walking back from the beach we saw our first armadillo!

It was an amazing day.  We met a couple waiting for the ferry, from the state of Washington, who are visiting all 50 states in their RV to celebrate their 50th anniversary.  Such a cool idea and sweet couple.  I did over 11,000 steps, a major milestone for me. We spent a glorious day on a magnificent island fully enjoying an awe-inspiring explore. 

Kelly and Carol on the steps of Dungeness ruins.

Setting sun from the return ferry