We had a kid-free long weekend so we decided to backpack at Cumberland Island.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
We headed down after work and stayed at a local camping spot we found on hip camp. Hipcamp is like the AirBNB of camping. The listings are by individuals and you can find most anything from a remote spot on top of a mountain to a yurt to a field on someone’s farm. This was the first time we used the rooftop tent. It worked great. Smalls even set it up in the dark.
We woke up early on Saturday and made our way to St. Marys, Georgia to get on the ferry to take us to Cumberland Island. Keep in mind that the only way to get to Cumberland Island is by ferry or kayak unless you have boat or plane with private access. The island is pack-it-in-pack-it-out. We reserved campsites at Hickory Hill, 5.5 miles from where you get off the ferry. The Island has 5 different campsites. Sea Camp is 0.5 miles from the ferry. It is tent camping that you can bring a cart to and you have access to running water and bathrooms. Stafford Beach is 3.5 miles from the ferry. It also has running water and bathrooms but you must carry all your gear on your back. The other campsites on the island, Hickory Hill, Yankee Paradise, and Brickhill Bluff, are wilderness campsites that are 5.5 miles, 7.5 miles, and 10.5 miles respectively from the ferry. Everything you need while you are there must be carried on your back. They do have water around the island, but it must be treated and even then still have a strong sulfur taste.
Once we arrived on Cumberland Island, we rode our bikes with our 30# backpacks to Hickory Hill and set up camp. We stayed in hammocks for this trip. We had not been riding much prior to this trip and adding the back pack to our backs lead to bicycle butt. What we did not realize was that you can ride your bike on the main trail, but not the side trails that take you to the campsites so we had to walk our bikes from the main trail to camp. If I had to do it over, I would leave the bikes at home. Once camp was set up, we hiked over to Plum Orchard for sunset. This is where we got an up close look at the horses. While we stood on the beach watching the sunset, one of the horses came around a tree and almost bumped into Smalls. It was absolutely gorgeous. The mansion was closed due to covid but we would love to come back for the tour. Afterward, we hiked back to camp for a warm dinner and to settle in for the night.
We woke up Sunday morning to a visitor in camp.
We got moving and started hiking over to Roller Coaster Trail. This was my favorite trail because we were surrounded by all the beautiful trees and palms. The trail is 3 miles but it was a few miles to get there from our camp.
We made our way to the beach and hiked 2 miles up the beach. It was so pristine. We saw tons of seashells, crab, birds, sand dollars, and horse prints.
At this point, we hiked over to the First African Baptist Church. We sat on a bench to enjoy our lunch. This was the first time that day that we saw other people on the island. All the campsites were sold out but we rarely saw other people while we were there.
From there, we continued on to the northernmost point of the island and down through Brickhill Bluff. Brickhill Bluff is definitely where I would want to stay when we go back. I think we would still start at Sea Camp the first night to do the things there, head over to Hickory Hill or Yankee Paradise for the next night and then spend 2 nights at Brickhill Bluff.
We finally got back to camp after dark and hiking over 22 miles. It was well worth it but we were tired. We woke up before sunrise and headed back to the ferry. We dropped our gear off and went to explore Dungeness Ruins before we had to catch the ferry back to head home.
Smalls and Talls Outdoors 