The Ice House Museum includes a colorful overview of island history, including this elaborate place setting recovered from the Dungeness mansion.
The Ice House Museum is the first point of interest at the end of the River Trail.
The Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum (on the mainland in St. Marys) displays touring carriages from the early 1900s.
A view from the back of the Dungeness estate shows telltale evidence of the fire that destroyed the mansion.
After exiting the museum, continue on the marked trail to the park’s main road and head south to the Dungeness Ruins and Historic District (a total of 0.5 mile). The wide flat trail from Dungeness Dock to the ruins of the mansion provides an easy walking surface under towering oak trees. Built in 1884 by the Carnegies, the Dungeness Mansion Ruins are reminiscent of Cumberland Island’s extravagant industrialist era. Today’s site contains the crumbling brick and stone remnants of the previously splendid compound. A view from the rear grounds of the estate shows telltale evidence of the 1959 fire that destroyed the 35,000-square-foot mansion. The next part of the Southend Loop is a variable 0.9- mile trek east that parallels Beach Creek on the Marsh and Interdune Boardwalks as you make your way to the ocean. The first section of the trail after the ruins is a sandy road that passes mansion-related structures including Dungeness staff dwellings, a laundry building and carriage house. Shortly after the ruins there’s a final opportunity to refill water bottles before hiking through the salt marsh to the dunes and onto the beach. The Marsh Boardwalk Trail yields some of the most colorful scenery and best
shorebird watching prospects on Cumberland Island. The closing stretch of the Interdune Boardwalk Trail leads hikers to a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean. When you see the first black and white striped “Beach Access” pole at the end of the dunes, it’s time to turn left to hike 1.5 miles north up the sandy Atlantic coastline. Cumberland Island beaches really shine with golden sand, waving sea oats, sparkling blue water, sandpipers, seagulls, and (hopefully) clear blue skies. If a secluded beach walk sounds good to you, Cumberland Island is your kind of seashore. As the second black and white “Beach Access” pole appears, it signals the close of the coastal portion of the Southend Loop. Turn left in a westerly direction to locate the wooden Sea Camp Beach Crossing sign at the dune line. Proceed off the beach onto a series of boardwalks and sandy trails for the final 0.6 miles of the Southend Loop. It’s a laid-back stroll over the dunes through a shady maritime forest to the return ferry embarkation point at Sea Camp Dock. Mission accomplished! A walkabout through Cumberland Island’s Southend Loop is an incredible way to spice up your travels. Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Schedule ferry reservations inadvanceof your Cumberland
CUMBERLAND ISLAND SOUTHEND LOOP
COAST TO COAST SUMMER MAGAZINE 2019
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