Cumberland Island Day Trip: Ferry, Ruins, Horses and Coffee

Cumberland Island National Seashore is Georgia’s largest barrier island, and you reach it only by boat. The day trip starts in St. Marys with a 45-minute ferry ride. The island sells no food and no coffee. The best cup of the day is the one you carry over.

Getting to the island: the St. Marys ferry

The Cumberland Island ferry leaves from the waterfront visitor center in St. Marys. The ride across the Cumberland Sound takes about 45 minutes. The boat stops at two island docks: Dungeness Dock and Sea Camp Dock.

Reservations are required, and summer and holiday boats sell out early. Check in about 60 minutes before departure. You pay the ferry fare and a separate National Park Service entrance fee. In 2026 the round-trip adult fare runs in the mid-$40 range, and the park fee is $15 per adult.

The ferry schedule changes by season. Morning boats leave St. Marys around 9:00 and 11:45. The last boat back leaves the island in late afternoon. Missing it means an unplanned night on an island with no hotel rooms for walk-ins, so set an alarm.

Coffee in St. Marys before the boat

Check-in for the 9:00 ferry means arriving around 8:00. Most St. Marys cafés on Osborne Street sit a short walk from the dock. Kraken Coffee & Kitchen, at 122 Osborne Street, opens at 7:30 and suits an early start. Cedar Oak Cafe, at 304 Osborne Street, serves breakfast with coffee.

We suggest ordering two drinks. Drink one at the counter, and have the café fill your insulated bottle with a second. A hot black coffee travels better than a latte. Milk drinks cool fast and can turn sour in Georgia heat by midday.

If you want something regional for the thermos, Savannah’s honey-sweetened coffee makes a good island companion. Our guide to honey roasted coffee in Savannah covers how it is made.

Dungeness ruins and the wild horses

The Dungeness ruins stand about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Sea Camp Dock. Thomas and Lucy Carnegie built the mansion in the 1880s on the site of an older house. A fire gutted it in 1959. Today the brick shell, chimneys and outbuildings stand open to the sky.

The wild horses often graze on the lawns around Dungeness. They descend from domestic horses left on the island and now live fully feral. Keep at least 50 feet (15 m) away. Do not feed or touch them, since they kick and bite.

From Dungeness, a boardwalk crosses the dunes to a long, empty Atlantic beach. Loggerhead sea turtles nest here in summer, so stay off marked nests and dune grass.

What to pack: food, water and the coffee kit

Cumberland Island has no stores, restaurants or vending machines for day visitors. Bring everything you plan to eat and drink. Pack out every scrap of trash, because the island has no bins along the trails.

Item	Why it matters
1 liter (34 oz) insulated bottle of coffee	No coffee is sold on the island
2 to 3 liters (68 to 100 oz) of water per person	Drinking water taps are limited and summer heat is intense
Packed lunch and snacks	No food service for day visitors
Insect repellent and sun hat	Mosquitoes and gnats are heavy in the maritime forest
Small trash bag	Everything you bring goes back to the mainland

A wide-mouth insulated bottle holds heat for six hours or more. Preheat it with hot water before the café fills it. For a cold option, brew concentrate the night before and pour it over ice in a second bottle.

Planning the day

A day on Cumberland Island gives you about five to seven hours ashore. Most visitors walk the Dungeness loop, the beach and the River Trail. That route covers roughly 4 to 5 miles (6.5 to 8 km) on sand and shaded paths.

Spring and fall bring the mildest temperatures and fewer biting insects. Summer is hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms. Winter boats run fewer days each week, so confirm the schedule before you plan.

Bikes can be rented at Sea Camp in season, but the supply is small. Ask on the ferry if you want one. The park also runs a ranger-led vehicle tour to the north end of the island. It sells out fast and requires its own booking.

If you go

• Ferry: Departs the visitor center on the St. Marys waterfront. Reservations required. Arrive 60 minutes early.
• Cost: Round-trip ferry in the mid-$40s per adult in 2026, plus a $15 park entrance fee.
• Coffee: Buy it in St. Marys. Kraken Coffee & Kitchen opens at 7:30 daily.
• Bring: Lunch, water, coffee, repellent, sunscreen and a trash bag.
• Do not: Feed, touch or crowd the wild horses.
• Last boat: Leaves the island in late afternoon. Check the time at your arrival dock.