Sea Camp Campground at Cumberland Island National Seashore

SEASONS AND HOURS

Sea Camp Campground is open year-round.

GETTING THERE

Sea Camp Campground is the most popular campground at Cumberland Island National Seashore and one of the most beautiful campgrounds I have ever been to. Its popularity is attributed to the fact that it is not only the closest campground to the Sea Camp ferry dock at a half mile, but also because it is one of only two on the island with modern restrooms and showers, albeit cold showers. These amenities make Sea Camp the only choice for families with small children, unless you have some type of Rambo family. The next closest campground is a 3.5-mile walk from the dock.

For those with a lot of gear, carts are available for rent at the far end of the Sea Camp Ranger Station. Carts must be returned within an hour for the rental fee. The hike to the campground is a straight shot from the ferry dock along one of the most beautiful trails in the park. If you walk all the way to the end of the trail, you will come to a picnic area and a boardwalk that leads over the sand dunes to Sea Camp Beach, which is about a quarter mile away.

Trail to Sea Camp Campground on Cumberland Island

TYPE OF CAMPING

Tent camping only.

NUMBER OF SITES

Sea Camp Campground has 18 sites, and each site can hold up to six people.

There are also two group campsites that can accommodate from 11 to 20 people with up to 6 tents each.

AMENITIES

Each site has at least one picnic table, a fire ring / grill, and a food storage box to keep food away from the raccoons. There are no electric or water hookups at any site, but there are some charging stations for phones and other portable devices near the restroom. There is a modern bathroom with cold showers and a dishwashing station. Drinking water is also available. It is not the best tasting water—nor the worst—so bring as much of your own as possible. You can buy individual bottles of water on the ferry when it is docked at the island.

Typical campsite at Sea Camp Campground on Cumberland Island

TERRAIN

All campsites are located in an enchanting live oak and palmetto forest, which provides excellent shade. Each site sits back in its own cubbyhole. You may be able to hear other campers, but you cannot see them. The terrain is completely flat and covered with dirt and leaves.

Campsite at Sea Camp Campground on Cumberland Island

RESERVATIONS

Reservations for all campgrounds can be made up to six months in advance and are now required. Book your campsite online at Recreation.gov. Keep in mind that unless you have your own boat that you must travel by ferry, and the campsite and ferry bookings are done at different websites. This sets up what is known as a Catch-22 situation—you can’t book a site until you have a ferry ticket, and you don’t want a ferry ticket unless you have a campsite. This usually isn’t a problem, but at busy times such as Spring Break, if only a few ferry tickets remain, it is possible that by the time you book your campsite they may be gone, and vice versa. The ferry does not operate daily from December through February.

Those camping at Sea Camp must return on the 10:15 AM ferry on the day of departure. All other must return on the 2:45 PM ferry.

Camping fees do not include park entrance fees, so everyone must check in at the Visitor Center to pay the fee. Arrive an hour before your departure time to minimize standing in line, for the closer to departure, the longer the line.

Sea Camp is the first campground to fill up, and during the peak camping season (March-June) you have very little chance of getting a site if you try to make a reservation only a few weeks in advance, especially on weekends.

For the current camping fees, visit the National Park Service’s official Camping web page for Cumberland Island National Seashore.

CAMPGROUND RULES

• Stay Limit: 7 consecutive nights.
• A person cannot hold more than one permit for the same date. That permit holder must occupy the site.
• Maximum campers and equipment: The individual site maximum is six persons. The Sea Camp Group Campground maximum is 20 people. Children two years of age and under do not count toward the maximum.
• Gear Transport: Campers are responsible for transporting gear from the dock to the campgrounds. Carts can only be used to transport gear to Sea Camp Campground.
• Campfires: Only permitted at Sea Camp & Stafford Beach. Use designated fire rings only. You may gather dead and down wood or purchase bundles of firewood on the ferry.
• Check out time: 10:00 a.m.
• Quiet hours: 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
• Food and Trash Storage: Store or hang all food and trash. Raccoons are common. Follow Leave No Trace principles
• Drinking Water: Available at Plum Orchard and all areas south of Sea Camp. Treat water at all other areas of the island.
• No Pets: Only service animals are permitted in campgrounds.
• No Lifeguards. Swim at your own risk.
• All animals on the island – including horses – are wild! Do not approach within 50 feet of horses; they may bite or kick.

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