Cumberland Island Camping: Sea Camp or Stafford Beach?

Cumberland Island asks travelers to choose their overnight style before they ever reach the ferry. Sea Camp keeps the gear haul short and the facilities close. Stafford Beach trades that convenience for a 3.5-mile backpack from the dock and a quieter base farther north.

Both choices put campers inside Cumberland Island National Seashore after the day visitors return to St. Marys. Neither is casual car camping. Every bag arrives by boat, every camper carries out trash, and every trip depends on matching a campsite reservation with the ferry schedule.

For more lodging ideas around Georgia and the Southeast, start with the North Atlanta Star Where to Stay guide.

Sea Camp is the easier first overnight

Sea Camp Campground is a half-mile walk from Sea Camp Dock. Carts may be used on that route, which matters when a family is carrying a tent, food, water bottles and sleeping gear. The campground has treated drinking water, flush toilets, cold showers, a dishwashing sink and food-storage lockers. Each individual site includes a picnic table and a fire ring with a grill.

This is the more forgiving choice for a first Cumberland overnight, for adults camping with children, or for anyone who wants to spend less of the arrival day hauling equipment. It is still tent camping. There are no electrical hookups, no camp store and no trash collection. Cell service can be uneven, and campers must bring all meals and pack out everything they carried in.

Sea Camp also controls the final morning. Campers there are required to return on the 10:15 a.m. ferry from Sea Camp Dock. That leaves little room for a leisurely last day, but it makes the departure plan clear.

Stafford Beach begins with the backpack

Stafford Beach Campground is 3.5 miles north of Sea Camp Dock. Campers must carry their gear; carts and wheeled coolers are not allowed beyond the Sea Camp area. The campground has potable water, flush toilets, cold showers, fire rings and food-storage lockers, but it has no cell reception and no store.

Stafford suits travelers who already know that a loaded 3.5-mile walk is manageable. It rewards a lighter pack and a trip of more than one night. A one-night stay can feel compressed once the arrival ferry, orientation, hike, camp setup and next-day return are placed on the same timeline.

The later-return advantage is seasonal. The National Park Service allows Stafford campers to use the 10:15 a.m. return or the 2:45 p.m. sailing when that ferry operates. The published ferry schedule drops the 2:45 p.m. return from October through February. A 4:45 p.m. return may be requested from the ferry office, but it is subject to space and should not be treated as guaranteed.

The real cost includes three separate reservations

Official fees checked Nov. 6, 2026, put an individual Sea Camp site at $22 per night for as many as six people and a Stafford Beach site at $12 per night for as many as six. Those campsite fees do not include the ferry or park admission, and an open campsite does not guarantee ferry space.

The round-trip ferry fare is $44 plus tax for adults ages 16 to 61, $42 plus tax for seniors 62 and older, $34 plus tax for children ages 6 to 15, and free for children 5 and younger. The park’s seven-day entrance pass is $15 for each visitor 16 or older. America the Beautiful passes may cover entrance fees, and Senior and Access passholders may receive a 50% discount on individual campsite fees when the passholder occupies the site. Travelers should check their dates and final totals before paying.

Reserve the campsite through Recreation.gov first, then book a round-trip ferry for every camper. Camping reservations open as far as six months ahead. The permit must be printed within 10 days of arrival and carried during the stay. Changing the start date requires cancellation and a new reservation, with the published cancellation rules applied.

Winter changes the calendar

The ferry operates five days a week from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28, with no Tuesday or Wednesday service. That makes a winter itinerary less flexible than it first appears. A campsite reservation that begins or ends on a no-ferry day will not work for a traveler relying on the passenger ferry.

Managed hunts create additional closures. The park’s current 2026-27 schedule includes hunts Dec. 1-3 and Dec. 19-20, followed by Jan. 5-7 and Jan. 26-28. Regular camping is restricted during hunt periods, and the wilderness, Plum Orchard and northern roads close to other visitors. Check the managed-hunt schedule before reserving a winter trip.

What both campgrounds require

There are no restaurants or shops on Cumberland Island. Bring every meal, drinking container, cooking item and weather layer you will need. Propane cylinders larger than one gallon are not permitted on the ferry. Fires are allowed only in designated rings at Sea Camp and Stafford Beach, and beach fires are prohibited.

Pets cannot stay in the campgrounds; only service animals are permitted. Swimming is at your own risk, with no lifeguards. Horses and other animals on the island are wild, and the park requires visitors to stay at least 50 feet from horses. Mosquitoes, gnats and ticks can turn a mild-weather trip into an uncomfortable one, so repellent belongs in the basic kit.

Weather can also change the plan after reservations are made. The park was operating normally when its conditions page was checked Nov. 6, but coastal weather and ferry operations can shift. Recheck the park and ferry before leaving North Atlanta.

Which campground fits the trip?

Choose Sea Camp when the priority is a manageable gear haul, the most developed facilities and a simpler first overnight. Choose Stafford Beach when everyone in the group can comfortably backpack the full load and the extra distance is part of the appeal.

The lower Stafford fee is not the deciding factor. The ferry and entrance costs are the larger fixed expenses, while the physical effort is the larger tradeoff. On Cumberland Island, the best campsite is the one your group can reach, enjoy and leave without turning the ferry schedule into a race.