Cumberland Island National Seashore | LOST – TAR KILN – DUCK HOUSE LOOP HIKE

Trail Map (click to enlarge)

Trail Map (click to enlarge)


WARNING: Trails north of Stafford Beach are lightly traveled and are not maintained on a regular basis and therefore may be overgrown. Some can also be extremely muddy and even under water after heavy rains and high tides. Before hiking, ask a park Ranger about current conditions. Furthermore, do not hike these trails without wearing long pants and tick repellent. Ticks are prevalent on the trails, even the ones that are maintained.

The most accurate Cumberland Island National Seashore trail map is available through the Georgia Conservancy. You can download a free PDF version, or you can purchase a tear- and water-resistant printed map directly from the Conservancy or at the Cumberland Island National Seashore Visitor Center. The PDF is great for planning your hiking trips, but I highly recommend purchasing a map for use on the trails if you plan to do a lot of backcountry hiking. A free map is available at the Sea Camp Ranger Station, but it’s not that great, plus it tears up pretty easily. Regardless of your decision, be sure you have some sort of map before starting your backcountry hikes.


Length: 4.5-mile loop (8.7 miles from Sea Camp)
Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Start of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

Start of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

The trailhead for the Lost Trail, the trail on which this loop hike begins, is located 8.7 miles from Sea Camp on Grand Avenue, the main road through Cumberland Island National Seashore. No bikes are allowed on the trail, not even if pushed, because this is a Wilderness Area and no mechanized contraptions are permitted. If you rode up from Sea Camp, you must leave your bike at the trailhead near the road.

The Lost Trail starts out in good shape, so wide that it could pass as a former road, and remains decent as it works its way west towards the Atlantic Ocean. However, once it turns south it quickly becomes overgrown. I recommend asking a park Ranger about its condition before attempting this hike.

Typical terrain for the first half mile of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

Typical terrain for the first half mile of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

Four-tenths of a mile from the start of the hike is the intersection with the Tar Kiln Trail. You could turn here and do the loop in a counter-clockwise manner, but I chose to stay on the Lost Trail and return via the Tar Kiln Trail. The Lost Trail path becomes vague at this intersection, but the proper way to go is straight ahead. The forest is very open at this point and mainly comprised of pine trees, and the fallen pine needles have covered up any sign of a path that has been worn into the ground.

Intersection with the Lost Trail and Tar Kiln Trail at Cumberland Island National Seashore

Intersection with the Lost Trail and Tar Kiln Trail at Cumberland Island National Seashore

The problem of vagueness continues past the Tar Kiln intersection, and the Lost Trail becomes hard to follow. At times you just have to take a guess and hope for the best. However, while it is not an obvious trail, most of the time it is obvious as to which way to go if you have any sense of direction or hiking instinct.

Faint path of the Lost Trail east of the Tar Kiln Trail, Cumberland Island National Seashore

Faint path of the Lost Trail east of the Tar Kiln Trail, Cumberland Island National Seashore

After a while the forest thickens, the trail narrows, and it gets easier to follow. But no sooner is the problem of getting lost solved when you start coming across mud holes. This is a common characteristic of the northern trails that lead towards the coast, for there seems to be a lot of swamp-like terrain in that area. You might not be able to get around some of the mud holes without stepping into the bushes, and after a tick experience of a lifetime earlier in the day on another trail, I didn’t want to get anywhere near any greenery. I highly recommend wearing boots or shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty and just marching right on through.

Mud hole on the Lost Trail in Cumberland Island National Seashore

Mud hole on the Lost Trail in Cumberland Island National Seashore

There are two other trail intersections you will come to, the Oyster Pond Trail at .65 mile into the hike and the Roller Coaster Trail shortly after that. I did not hike either of these trails. The Oyster Pond Trail heads north before curving west and coming out on Grand Avenue. The Roller Coaster Trail follows the coast north all the way up to North Cut Road, which is about as north as you can go and still be within the park boundaries.

After you pass the turnoff for the Roller Coaster Trail, the Lost Trail starts to curve south. It is at this point where it really narrows. Whenever you come into contact with vegetation you need to check yourself for ticks at the next clearing. Ticks do not drop out of trees onto your head. They live ankle to knee high from the ground in the brush along the trails, and since you run into them with the front of your body, they are most likely to initially be on the front of your lower legs. If you find one up higher, it has crawled up that far. Be sure to wear long pants to keep the ticks from sneaking under your shorts and into your crotch area.

At times you may have to bust through a ticket of saw palmettos, another reason to wear long pants. The stems, as the name implies, have saw-like briers on them. You can get cut up pretty badly if you are wearing shorts. However, it’s not like you are bushwhacking through them for the entire way.

Overgrown section of the Lost Trail east of the Roller Coaster Trail, Cumberland Island National Seashore

Overgrown section of the Lost Trail east of the Roller Coaster Trail, Cumberland Island National Seashore

The southern leg of the Lost Trail passes through another swampy area. Boardwalks lead over the worst of it, but sometimes you just have to traipse through the mud.

Boardwalk over a swampy section of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

Boardwalk over a swampy section of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

The narrow and overgrown section lasts for about a half mile past the intersection with the Roller Coaster Trail, only clearing up and getting wider for the last .3 mile prior to the Duck House Trail.

Narrow but clear section of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

Narrow but clear section of the Lost Trail on Cumberland Island

The Lost Trail dead ends into the Duck House Trail 2.4 miles into the hike. Take a right at the intersection to continue the loop hike. If you want to go to the beach, take a left. I hiked the entire trail earlier, and you can read about it on the Duck House Trail review page. The good news is that the Duck House Trail is wide and well maintained as you head west; it is a former road.

Typical terrain on the Duck House Trail on Cumberland Island

Typical terrain on the Duck House Trail on Cumberland Island

The Duck House Trail segment of the hike only lasts .4 mile before coming to the Tar Kiln Trail. Take a right at this intersection to begin the trip north back to the Lost Trail.

Intersection with the Duck House Trail and Tar Kiln Trail, Cumberland Island National Seashore

Intersection with the Duck House Trail and Tar Kiln Trail, Cumberland Island National Seashore

The Tar Kiln Trail is a maintained trail, though you may run into a short, narrow section here and there. You will be on it for about 1.4 miles. When you reconnect with the Lost Trail, you come in at such an angle that you actually stay straight to head west on the Lost Trail and back to Grand Avenue, another .4 mile away.

Typical terrain for most of the Tar Kiln Trail on Cumberland Island

Typical terrain for most of the Tar Kiln Trail on Cumberland Island

One of the overgrown sections of Cumberland Island's Tar Kiln Trail

One of the overgrown sections of Cumberland Island’s Tar Kiln Trail

I cannot recommend this loop hike. It doesn’t lead anywhere and the scenery is nothing special. There’s really no point in the hike unless you are simply out to cover every trail in the park. However, hiking the Duck House Trail on its own to reach the beach certainly has a purpose, and the Tar Kiln Trail may come in handy if you are hiking to a destination farther north. Both of these trails are maintained by the National Park Service and park volunteers. The Lost Trail is not maintained, and it may well be impassible by the time you attempt this hike. Again, ask a park Ranger about current trail conditions.

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Last updated on July 26, 2024
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