Using a Wheelchair On Cumberland Island

For spring break this year, our family visited the coast of Georgia and stayed on Jekyll Island. We also had two different day trips to Cumberland Island, which is a national seashore park.

Cumberland Island National Seashore is accessible only by ferry.

The island is a preserved natural area, so first and foremost you are not allowed to drive on the island. Since there are no bridges leading to the island anyway, this is easily accomplished. The only way to access the island is to book a ticket on a ferry that crosses to the island from the mainland a couple of times a day. Everything you pack in must be packed out, whether you are visiting for the day to hike or ride bikes, or camp for multiple days. It has nature, ruins of old mansions, and even horses wandering around.

But…is it accessible for someone in a wheelchair? Yes and no.

How “yes” and how “no” depends on what you’d like to do with your time and what ferry dock you plan to land at. Luckily, you really only have two choices, and after visiting both it was easy to decide which one got us to the beach easier than the other.

First, a little general info about what you will find at both docks and the trails on the island.

Many of the paths double as bike trails.

Trails

The surface of many of the trails is a mixture of gravel and crushed seashells. We didn’t have too much trouble pushing our little guy on the paths. There are smaller walking-only trails that branch off, but these were not required to access any of the main attractions.

Pushing a wheelchair was manageable on the trails.

Available Beach Wheelchairs

There are chairs available at each dock to borrow, first-come first-serve, that are designed to use on the sand. We did not use them because the chairs are designed for adults and my son seemed too small. There is no guarantee that every chair will have all the buckles intact or if they will be available, but they do exist and we saw plenty of them.

The Docks

One way requires a trek through sand dunes to get to the beach. The other does not.

If your main interest in visiting Cumberland Island is to see the Dungeness Ruins and spot feral horses, then the Ice House Dock is going to be your destination. This is the first stop the ferry makes on the island from the mainland. The trails are wide and well-groomed, and it’s easy to find your way around. It was also the best way to run into some horses.

The horses just meander around looking for food.

What the Ice House / Dungeness dock is not good for getting to is the beach. Between the ruins and the beach is a long section of very loose and deep sand. I don’t have pictures because I was too busy pulling my son on his chair like a rickshaw through the Gobi desert. After finally making it to the beach after much sweating and cursing, we turned north and walked up to the trail that leads from the second ferry dock. There we found that it would have been much easier to access the beach from that stop.

The Sea Camp Ranger Station

The dock at the Sea Camp Ranger Station was a much easier way to gain access to the beach. This is the second dock landing from the mainland. The trails were easy going most of the way, with the exception of occasional spots of loose sand. Close to the beach, there is a boardwalk. With full-grown adults who are not able to help in their chairs, or people with power chairs, this transition from trail to boardwalk could be a challenge. I think the bottom of the ramp was just sitting on the ground, not graded into a smooth ramp. You can ask the rangers at the station if you feel that could be a problem and they will surely help.

You only have to traverse an area of loose sand from the end of the boardwalk to the packed sand of the beach. It is a much more manageable way to get to the water than using the Ice House Dock.

We got to the beach. The shoes and one sock did not make it on his feet as far.

On the beach, the tide smooths and packs the sand very well. Some people bike on it, and it is usable with a wheelchair for many yards from the water, depending on whether the tide is in or out.

A wide beach for shellin’ and wheelchairin’.

We found sand dollars and a lot of shells, and overall had an uncomplicated time getting our son around to enjoy the fun with everyone else.

Of course, everyone will have to decide for themselves how doable a jaunt like this is. Will getting on and off of a small ferry boat be too hard? How can I navigate through random horse poop? Well, if you are looking for a perk to sweeten the deal, I have one for you.

National Parks Access Card

Free access to national parks! We didn’t even know this was a thing before we went. Anyone who uses a wheelchair every day can get a card for free access to all the national parks, including everyone who shares a car with them. That was our whole family. We shared a car together!

How often will we use it? I admit, I am more motivated now that my son has the card. More than that though, I’m just touched by the idea that somebody recognizes it’s just a bit harder enough for some folks that they deserve something for the effort. “Sorry about the extra trouble with the trails and woods and…everywhere. We’re going to comp this entry for ya.”

All in all, the journey was a doable adventure.