Lighthouse Overlook Trail map (click to enlarge)

Length: 2 miles, round trip
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

The Lighthouse Overlook Trail at Fort Pulaski National Monument runs between the fort and a viewing area where you can see the Cockspur Island Lighthouse. You can’t get to the lighthouse from here because it is on a small island at the mouth of the Savannah River’s South Channel. The lighthouse is one of five still standing in Georgia.

Cockspur Island Lighthouse at Fort Pulaski National Monument

When the tide is extremely high or if it has been raining, the last part of the Lighthouse Overlook Trail can be very wet and muddy, so you might want to ask about conditions at the Fort Pulaski Visitor Center before heading out. Even when dry, the end of trail is pockmarked with footprints, which indicates that a wet environment is very common.

Wet area at the end of the Lighthouse Overlook Trail (Fort Pulaski National Monument)

Dried footprints in the often wet area of the Lighthouse Overlook Trail at Fort Pulaski National Monument

To begin the hike from the Visitor Center, walk around to the left side of Fort Pulaski and past the cemetery, then continue to the backside of the fort. Surrounding the fort is an earthen dike (a shoulder-high embankment) that was built to keep the water out of the fort area. Look for a mowed swath through the tall grass that leads to the dike. If you want a landmark, there are only four trees on the backside of the fort—two palm trees and two pine trees. The path to the dike is near the pine trees.

Path to the dike around Fort Pulaski, Fort Pulaski National Monument

Take a left and follow the dike for a minute or two until you come to a footbridge that spans a gully. A sign in the shape of a lighthouse points the way.

Start of the Lighthouse Overlook Trail at Fort Pulaski National Monument

Once over the bridge there is only one way to go, so you can’t get lost. The trail runs along the marsh for a short distance before entering a maritime forest that is home to palmetto bushes and pine trees, none of which are very tall. While there may be some shade when the sun is low in the sky, there is no escaping it when it is directly overhead, so wear a hat and apply sunscreen if avoiding the sun is important to you.

Typical terrain along the Lighthouse Overlook Trail at Fort Pulaski National Monument

The trail is flat and the surface is smooth, so a disabled person in an off-road wheelchair could make it out to see the lighthouse with some help.

Typical terrain along the Lighthouse Overlook Trail at Fort Pulaski

You catch your first glimpse of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse just a few minutes before coming to the end of the trail. You won’t encounter any mud at this point, so if you find that what lies ahead is not to your liking, you can still get a good view of the lighthouse from here.

First glimpse of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse (at high tide), Fort Pulaski National Monument

When you reach the official end of the trail—where the dirt ends—you will find an elevated pile of oyster shells that stretches for another tenth of mile. If the tide is out, you can walk along the top of the shells to get a much closer look at the lighthouse. Just be careful not to fall because doing so would be like falling on broken glass. And be equally careful not to step off the shells because everything surrounding them is mud.

Oyster shell path leads to a closer view of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse, Fort Pulaski National Monument

At high tide nearly the entire island on which the lighthouse stands is underwater, whereas at low tide a daring person could swim out to the island after wallowing in a lot of mud to get to the shore. However, don’t do it because the island and the lighthouse are closed and you can be fined by the National Park Service (Cockspur Island Lighthouse is part of Fort Pulaski National Monument).

The Cockspur Island Lighthouse is just 150 yards from the mainland, Fort Pulaski National Monument

On my recent trip to see the lighthouse, there were so many kayakers on the island that I had a difficult time getting a photo without a kayak or a person in the shot. I saw another group getting ready to depart from Tybee Island, and I was hoping that the group on the island would leave before the new group arrived, but that was not the case. When I asked a Ranger about this I was told that I had witnessed the first kayaking tours of the season, and that all outfitters had just been warned about landing on the island and would be fined if it happens again.

Kayakers breaking the law by landing on the Cockspur Island Lighthouse island, Fort Pulaski National Monument

The Lighthouse Overlook Trail is one of three trails that cross the dike, the other two being the North Pier Trail and the Picnic Area Trail. You can actually walk around Fort Pulaski by following the dike, a route known as the Dike System Trail. If you plan on hiking this trail, I suggest combining it with either the Lighthouse Overlook Trail or the North Pier Trail, as these two take you to other historical areas in the park. I hiked to the lighthouse and caught the Dike System Trail on the way back.

Dike System Trail at Fort Pulaski National Monument

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