Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore
R
Reviewed Jun. 26, 2018

Amazing campground, book it while you can!

We absolutely adored this campsite. It is more quiet and there are less campers than Sea Camp but you still get amenities like showers, bathrooms, campfires, and a non-potable water source unlike the backpacking sites. We used a Grayl water filter for all of our water and had no issues.

The sites are very large with beautiful trees hanging over and providing shade. We didn't have as much of an issue with bugs as we did at Hickory Hill. Make sure you hang your food still -- there was a possum nosing around that had already torn into another camper's dry bag that was left on a log. We are not sure why some of the sites were marked as "closed" and were unreservable online so be sure to book them early if you can.

We used backpacking gear but did see some campers wheel in all of their items on a cart. The Park Ranger mentioned that in the future they may not allow campers to take carts to the "hike-in" sites including Stafford Beach, so keep an eye on the rules regarding that for your visit. Wheeling the cart looked like more effort than it was worth since the Main Road is very sandy and uneven, but if you are planning to stay for a few days you may find having more items is useful!

It was such a short walk to the beach from here! This is where we saw groups of wild horses as well. Since it was turtle egg-laying season we did try to spend time late at night at low tide and high tide to see loggerheads on the beach (make sure you follow the rules about keeping your distance and only using red-light headlamps/flashlights!). There were over 200 nests and reports every night of new ones, but we did not see any come up onto the beach.

We actually hiked out along the beach when we left instead of taking the Parallel Trail or Main Road and it ended up being a bit shorter -- just make sure you use plenty of sunscreen since you're much more exposed! Walking on the "wet" sand areas was sturdy and not difficult at all. There was much less people on the beach between here and Sea Camp and we saw many different kinds of birds.

Highly highly recommend this campsite over all others on the island -- there are less people around, you can still backpack it, there is a water source, and you are very close to the beach.

Site8
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore by Renee B., June 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore by Renee B., June 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore by Renee B., June 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore by Renee B., June 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore by Renee B., June 26, 2018
  • Review photo of Stafford Beach Campground — Cumberland Island National Seashore by Renee B., June 26, 2018