It is fall or winter, a stunning time for your visit to Cumberland Island. With few crowds, you have the wild horses, ruins, and nature to yourself.

Maybe you have just finished a walking tour or simply enjoyed strolling the impressive grounds of the Carnegies’ Dungeness Mansion.

After a satisfying visit, you may decide you have run out of things to do and are ready to head back to the mainland. But…the ferry you wish to take is not running this time of year. So how do you fill the rest of your afternoon?

I’m here to tell you not to worry – there is SO MUCH to do in your free time. Below, find a eight things to do on Cumberland to engage both your mind and body!

Ice House Museum

Discover the island’s deep history inside the Carnegies’ historic Ice House building. This recently-updated museum transports you back in time, from the Native Americans to European occupation, from the Gilded Age to the island’s becoming a national park. Engaging write-ups, stunning pictures, and original artifacts bring this action-packed past to life.

Hike the Trails

Meander through maritime forests, historic districts, marshes, and pristine beaches. The most popular area for hiking is the South End, around the Dungeness Historic District.

The National Park Service recommends a 4.3-mile, 2- to 4-hour easy loop which showcases the island’s incredibly diverse ecosystem. To complete this loop, head from Sea Camp south down the River Trail and past the Carnegies’ Dungeness mansion ruins, east on a boardwalk over the marsh, north 1.5 miles along the beach, and west through the maritime forest back to Sea Camp, where you can catch a return ferry.

For other hikes, such as the River Trail between Sea Camp and Dungeness, the Nightingale Trail under live oak trees and over dunes, and the Parallel Trail through the maritime forest, click here. Find a map and list of hikes here.

Beach

If you’ve ever craved a pristine white sand beach overlooking the mighty Atlantic Ocean all to yourself, you’ve got it. Welcome to one of the longest stretches of undeveloped beach on the East Coast!

The easiest way to access the beach is by a 15- to 20-minute walk on an unpaved path from Sea Camp Dock. You may also access the beach from Dungeness via a mile-long sandy path or a marsh-front boardwalk located past the Greene-Miller Cemetery, but this route is longer and more exposed than that from Sea Camp.

Hunt for Sharks’ Teeth

For those interested in searching for sharks’ teeth, Cumberland Island offers a treasure trove, and you don’t even have to go to the beach! In fact, the best places to find them are along the roadways or at Raccoon Keys.

How? Well, the adjacent Cumberland River is a major thoroughfare for nuclear submarines headed to and from Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. The river is constantly dredged to keep it passable for these vessels, and that dredged material is dumped at Raccoon Keys on Cumberland Island. The park then uses this dredged material to repave the roads across the island. At low tide, shark tooth hunters can have great success hunting along Raccoon Keys or at any time on the roads, especially Grand Avenue, the island’s main artery.

Picnic

Why not pack a nice picnic lunch and choose a scenic spot to chow down? There are picnic tables beside the Dungeness Ruins, at the laundry house, and by the Ice House (water fountains and restrooms are located at the two latter locations, as well). You may be munching alongside wild horses, armadillos, or deer – that is the magic of Cumberland Island!

Note: There is NOTHING to purchase once you arrive on the island. All of your trash is pack in, pack out. Therefore, you must being any food and water you need with you.

There are two restrooms and two water fountains in the Dungeness Area and several more options around Sea Camp Dock and Campground. North of Sea Camp, water is not potable.

Ranger Talk

Every day at 4:00 p.m., a park ranger or volunteer offers a talk about Cumberland Island’s ecology at Sea Camp dock. Learn about right whales or coyotes, study animal skulls from the island, or touch local seashells to get to know the island more intimately. Then, hop on the nearby ferry to return home!

Jetties

For a more challenging, off-the-beaten-path visit, hike down the beach to the jetties at the southernmost point of Cumberland Island. These jetties help mitigate the currents in the Cumberland Sound and also provide you with a scenic view!

Appreciate the Details

The Dungeness Area offers so many details which warrant more study. For instance, locate Carnegie pet gravestones next to the pool house, romp in the ruins of the Carnegies’ miniature playhouse complete with its own chimney, or locate the remains of a centuries-old tabby structure by the Captain’s House near the Dungeness Dock.

Conclusion

It always disappoints me when I hear someone say there is not enough to do on Cumberland Island – that is so far from the truth! I hope this article makes you realize there is an incredible variety of activities to curate a visit that is perfect for you!

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If this article has piqued your interest on the incredible history and nature of Cumberland Island, then join us to learn more on our Cumberland Island Walking Tour: Haunting Ruins and Wild Horses!

Our tours in nearby St. Marys offer stunning history, as well!