East Beach

18 miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach — one of the longest wild beaches on the US East Coast

The east beach runs the full 18-mile length of the island, a broad strip of white sand and dune backed by maritime forest and separated from the rest of the island by low dunes. There are no facilities anywhere on the beach — no food, no water, nothing. What there is: shells, shorebirds, loggerhead turtle nests from May to August, dolphins visible offshore on most days, and the Atlantic horizon.

The beach is reached via marked trails from the main north-south road (actually a sandy track). The closest access from the main ferry dock at Sea Camp is about a 5-minute walk. Swimming is possible but there are no lifeguards; rip currents can be present, and the surf can be significant during swells. The beach is less visited toward the northern end — if solitude is what you want, walk north.

things to do sight swimming
A story
Cumberland Island's east beach is one of only a handful of stretches of Atlantic coast in the eastern United States without a single building on it. No road, no concession stand, no lifeguard, no development of any kind. In a region where virtually every accessible beach has been developed to some degree, this absence is itself extraordinary — and it exists because the Carnegies kept the island private for a century, then the federal government inherited what they'd preserved.

Other places in Things to Do