Best Tent Camping near Folkston, GA

Nice secluded campground where each site is set back and nestled into a saw palm clearing and equipped with a picnic table, fire ring/grill and food cache box (an elevated roofed chicken wire cage). This campground is super easy to get to from the ferry, less than a mile walk (about ½ mile). You are responsible for carrying all of your own gear to the campgrounds so you’re want to pack it all in a backpack, bring your own wagon or hope to try and borrow one of the wagons they have at the ranger station (they do have a lot, but they get taken pretty quickly). Once you’re in the campgrounds there is a nice short trail directly onto the ocean side beach, which is wonderful for catching the sunrise. Another nice feature about this (compared to the other north primitive sites on the island) is that they are the closest and a relatively short walk/hike to the Dungeness Ruins. If you stay for a while or have the time head up to the northern end and visit the Plum Orchard Mansion (14 mile round trip) as most people don't and you'll likely get an almost private tour (we thought we would right up until the very last moment when another small group showed up). If you want to explore more of the island in a short period of time I’d suggest biking. You can bring your own ($10 fee) or rent bikes from the ferry personal ($16 day, $20 overnight). If you are renting, I’d suggest renting them the day before (overnight) so you can then explore a lot more of the island first thing in the morning before the day trippers arrive on the ferry.

This campground is the only campground on the island where you’ll have access to potable water, restrooms and cold showers so if you want to stay here definitely make reservations. The 16 smaller & 2 group sites are all located off some main paths situated in little clearings of the saw palmettos giving them a little bit of privacy. The northern half of the loop is more separated than the southern but all the sites are located under the trees so you'll get a decent amount of shade/wind cover no matter where you.

You don’t reserve a specific site when you make your reservation but get to pick your site from the remaining open sites after a nice long introduction/video from the camp host once you arrive. So you don’t fully know what you’ll be able to select until you’re there.

Facilities

·       These are tent only primitive campsites with the standard uncovered picnic table and fire ring with a grate and/or a grill and your chicken wire cache box to keep they racoons out of your food.

·       Camp fires are only permitted at Sea Camp & Stafford Beach campgrounds. You must use designated fire rings. You may gather dead and down wood or purchase bundles of firewood on the ferry.

·       Flush restrooms and potable water.

·       Dish/food washing sink area

·       There are actually some electrical plugs hidden about that I say someone charging there phone in at one point.

·       No Pets: Only service animals are permitted in campgrounds.

Cumberland Island is a beautiful pristine National Seashore accessible by ferry off the coast of Georgia. We tent camped there in the middle of June 2021. It was a hot time of year but under the canopy of the live oak trees where the tent sites are located (Sea Camp) was easily 10+ degrees cooler than elsewhere. However, be warned, it was extremely humid. You might consider taking a small battery-operated fan. If I return, I will try to visit during a more cool season of the year. 

The tent sites are large, roomy, and equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, pole for hanging stuff, and a big metal lockable wildlife-proof box. There is no electricity or water except at the shower/restroom building that is near the campsites. You can borrow a cart to take your tent and supplies from the boat to the campsite (Seacamp only - the more distant campsites (on the north side of the island) are hike & carry only). You can also bring your own wagon/cart on the boat (we did). You can rent a bicycle on the island at the ranger station or bring your own. The ferry charges $10 to transport your own bike). Otherwise, the approximately 45-minute ferry ride costs $15 per person. You need to make a reservation in advance online (https://www.cumberlandislandferry.com/st-marys-cumberland-island-ferry/). You will need to reserve the campsite well in advance (they fill up quickly) and pay online (https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/camping.htm). You may pay the national part fee (parking fee?) of $20 at the park station in St. Marys prior to boarding the ferry or you can pay it online in advance as well. I paid in advance online but the rangers reimbursed me after I got there because, to my surprise, it just happened to be National Park Week and the parking fee was waived as part of the celebration. Lucky me.

The island is absolutely beautiful with miles of pristine beach with lovely waves and a luscious live oak forest. You can swim. Watch out for jellyfish. I flew a kite, too. Watch the sunrise in the morning and at night, you might get an unpolluted view of the stars. Expect to see wild horses on the beach and the trails. You should not try to approach them or feed them but they came pretty close to me anyway. So it is easy to get a good look at them. A harmless armadillo visited our campsite one day.

The rangers were super nice. We enjoyed an outdoor lecture on sea turtles outside the ranger station when we were waiting for the ferry on our departure day. The rangers also provide tours of the south side of the island and the Dungeness Ruins (the remains of Lucy Carnegie’s island mansion).

I highly recommend camping (or even just visiting for the day) on Cumberland Island, Georgia.

"SITE# D16, Back-In, FHU, 50, 30, 20 Amp and Stable, Water, Waste, LENGTH OF STAY: Stayed 2 Nights, RATE:$54.55/ Night with Veteran/ 10% Discount, CHECK-IN: 02:00 PM, CHECK-OUT: 12:00 PM STAFF: Friendly and Helpful, PARK IMPRESSIONS: Very Nice, We would stay here again ROADS: Asphalt, MANEUVERABILITY: Adequate, RV PAD: Dirt, ESTIMATED RV PAD LENGTH: 45 Feet, Tow Vehicle Could NOT Stay Connected but Parking at Site, SITE SLOPE: Level, No Leveling Blocks, Had to disconnect Tow Vehicle, PEDESTAL PLACEMENT: Center of site length, SHADE: 85%, GRASS AREA: No, Natural fallen leaves, DESIGNATED PET AREA: Not Fenced, PICNIC TABLE: Yes, FIRE RING: Yes, VERIZON Signal(bars): LTE-3, SPEED: 183 Mbs Download, 10.2 Mbs Upload, T-MOBILE Signal(bars): 5G-3, SPEED: 242 Mbs Download, 13.8 Mbs Upload, WIFI, OTA TV CHANNELS: 40, CABLE TV: No, PLAYGROUND: Yes, POOL: No, WATER FEATURE: Atlantic, FIREWOOD: Yes, BATH HOUSE: Clean and Contemporary, LAUNDRY: Clean and Contemporary,, STORE: Yes, CLUBHOUSE: Yes, PROPANE AVAILABILITY: Yes,$10 to get on the island. Very pretty campground setting. Quiet at night. Community room and a large assembly room. Well stocked camp store but no food. They do sell some beer, wine, ice cream and a few souvenirs. Fire wood$12/ bundle. Bike rental. Lots of bike trails around the island. Laundry$2.75 Wash,$2.75 Dry, Rig washing permitted(within reason- no floods). Beautiful island with a number of beach bars and restaurants. Lots of beaches but Atlantic here is brownish water due to river discharge. RIG: Ford F350 Dually Long Bed, 42ft- 17,000 lb 5th Wheel, Total length of rig= 59 ft"

Camping on Cumberland island for 8 days is an experience you will never forget. It rained every day while we were there and past clothing not drying it was still an amazing trip. Wild horses running on the beach is something to see. The ruins of an 1800s mansion built by a Carnagie that burned in 1959 is also one of those mysterious places that conjure emotions and kick the imagination in gear. Palm trees filling in the canopy of the largest stand of live oaks left in U.S. that all have spanish moss hanging in them like no movie production set designer could ever replicate make you feel like you time jumped to a jurassic age. Armadillo are scurrying around minding their own business dragging their noses through the sandy dirt eating ant trails and the only problem to deal with is Raccoons have learned how to unzip tents when they are unoccupied. Food will dissapear if you dont use the bear boxes each site has for food storage. Walking out on beach from tent every morning just to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic ocean while crab boats chug along being part of the scenery as the sun rises, you are first and only person on an 18 mile long beach until around 10 a.m. 7 out of 8 mornings, which means you get first dibs on shells left for you by mother nature overnight. I recommend this camp to everyone. Mosquitos are not as bad as we were told.

Had a perfect camping experience with my son at mid-august. Our spot was easy to find( which is important when coming back to the site at night), spacious, clean, quiet, and had a direct personal path to the restrooms/shower/laundry house. Had a nice fire ring ( we purchased a bundle across the street at the rangers station. He was very helpful in explaining where things were). Even had a clothesline set up. The beach was right across the street and we were allowed to go anytime ( no cars after the park closed though. But we could walk there so no biggie). The ranger told us it was the most beautiful beach in north Florida and he was correct. Awesome time Saw flying fish and a group of low flying seagulls ( to catch the flying fish). Only a short drive to the skatepark in Jacksonville. Wish we could have stayed longer but plan to return this year. Highly recommended!

We backpacked to this site for our first night on Cumberland Island. It was tough in the heat and humidity. We used the Parallel Trail with a slight detour to refill water at the Stafford Beach campground -- make sure you are prepared about water as the nearest non-potable water source to Hickory Hill is about 1 mile away.

We were the only campers this night so it felt very remote and secluded. Unfortunately, no amount of bug spray could deter the mosquitoes in June. We had a million bug bites and tent camping in this humidity was uncomfortable. Elsewhere on the island was not nearly as bad for ticks and mosquitoes. We were brushing them off ourselves and the tent constantly. Make sure you do a thorough tick check! I would love to visit again in the cooler months when this is less of an issue.

Unlike the campgrounds on the island, this site is still kinda far from beach access. You have to hike through a marsh/swampy area with some boardwalks and really keep an eye out for directional signs as there are side trails used by animals that look like the main trail. I was afraid of coming upon gators and I think we heard one but otherwise we didn't see any. We did see many wild horses and armadillos! One of the biggest draws to camping on Cumberland Island is the beach so I would recommend other sites over this one for their shorter access trails -- especially the Stafford Beach campground.

Be aware that campfires are NOT allowed in the wilderness, including this backpacking site. They are only allowed in designated fire rings that are in the 2 campgrounds. We were able to use a small backpacking stove to make our meals. Hang your food to protect from the critters (and horses maybe?)!

There were multiple options for campsites including some large areas that would accommodate groups well. All seemed pretty level.

This is the third time this year I’ve been to this campground. I came here in February this year, then brought the family in July and now I’m here solo in December. Campground is great for a few reasons, one of which is that you feel like you’re camping in the woods vice pulling into an RV parking lot. You get full hook ups, a picnic table and a fire ring for an unbelievable price. It has great access to a very long strip of beach, which is awesome news if you’re a surfer or just a beach lover. They have miles of off-road biking trails, which seems to be a big draw for a lot of folks that come here. It can get a little noisy at night even after the 10 PM quiet hours. The camping store is good and overall i would highly recommend this campground.

This hike-in only campground is but one of two such campgrounds that you’ll find here at Phillips Branch Crossing in Jennings State Forest. To reach Mule Landing Campground, you’ll have to first park in the Phillips Branch Crossing parking lot and from there, you’ll just want to follow the Dunns Farm Trail, passing the first campground (Dunn Farms) after about 1/3 of a mile in, where you’ll need to keep hiking for another mile until you reach the banks of the slow-moving Black Creek. You’ll wind around and ascend a slight incline before reaching Mule Landing, but trust me, if you are looking for one of the best private hike-in campgrounds, you’ve just arrived.

Like every primitive campground I’ve ever experienced, this one is no different and offers very little in the way of amenities, but what this place lacks in accoutrement, it more than makes up for by the simply pristine slice of nature that you’ll find yourself surrounded by. There’s enough room here for 2, maybe 3 small-to-medium sized tents with fairly level ground that is softened by all the downed leaves. There’s a single fire ring with a fold-over grill grate and a handful of logs to use for firewood. You’ll discover that there’s also this really cool bartop table with a matching bench that is perfect for whipping up a cocktail or eating dinner from. You’ll discover what looks to be like a trail heading west and away from the campground, but when I took it, this deadends, which might make me think this was created as a latrine of sorts. There was also a large 10 gallon blue Lowe’s plastic bucket that had been strategically left behind in case you wanted to bring some water from the nearby creek up to cook with or even drink (providing of course that you treat the water first). Oh, and there’s this simply sterling wooden bench (that I think our friends at TheDyrt planted here) overlooking the Black Creek at a place called Osteen Overlook that offers a great vantage point, which reads: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few are Dirt.”

Insider’s tips? There’s just a few here:(1) You really want to stay on the trails at all times as there are both deer ticks and rattlesnakes in these parts that, trust me, you don’t want to come into contact with; (2) While you might be thinking about biking on this long trail to make quicker time getting to Mule Campground, you can’t bike on any of the hiking trails here – but even if you could, take my word for it, you wouldn’t want to as the terrain is tough with decent inclines and declines, on top of what can be some rough footing on account of the tree roots; and (3) From this CG to Black Creek is only about 60 or so yards that you’ll have to navigate a set of handcrafted stairs and while we couldn’t find a decent place for a kayak or canoe to land here, I’m sure that there’s a spot nearby if you looked close enough – so rather than hiking in, you might be able to simply float your way here, but I would definitely call the FL State Ranger and inquire about this.

Happy Camping!

We had a very enjoyable camping experience here. Came for 1 night on New Years Eve. We had some concerns after reading reviews about camping here, but didn't run into any issues. We had campsite 24 and 25 facing the inlet, with 7 campers, 4 tents, and 4 cars (2 per site). The campsite was (as advertised) not level but that didn't effect anything. It had electrical hook ups, picnic table and a campfire ring with a grill rack built into it. 

The only negatives were no water at your site (but a short walk to the potable water by the restrooms), and the sites were kind of small and side by side with your neighbor. Placing the tents with the back side  facing the neighbors gave us enough privacy. 

The beach driving ends at 6pm but you are still able to walk it. 

Did not use the showers so unable to comment on them. 

The check in was easy and the staff was helpful. We didn't experience any site checks from the staff as some reviewers noted. 

All the positives outweighed the couple negatives in our opinion. We will definitely come back for a longer stay in the near future.