Cumberland Island Beach Driving
Did You Know?
Beach driving is allowed along the entire 17-mile beach of Cumberland Island. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has issued over 250 beach driving permits (more than any other beach in the state of Georgia) to island residents and family members.
2024 Total Beach Driving Permits
- Cumberland Island: 300 (17% increase from 2020)
- Little Cumberland Island: 39 (50% increase from 2020)
- Sapelo Island: 98 (53% increase from 2020)
- Sea Island: 4 (33% decrease from 2020)
2020 Total Beach Driving Permits
As reported by the Georgia DNR:
- Cumberland Island: 256
- Little Cumberland Island: 26
- Sapelo Island: 64
- Sea Island: 6
*NOTE: Number of permits issued to NPS rangers not available at the time of publication. According to the DNR, “The NPS is issued a General Authorization for Cumberland and must provide a list of their employees. All of the Cumberland Island National Seashore employees identified in the Cumberland general authorization are covered under that one authorization. Their staff must have a valid Beach Driving Authorization on their person when driving on the beach.”
Private residents may have retained driving rights, but Cumberland Island’s remote nature lends itself to a lack of oversight and enforcement. Island visitors have observed private vehicles driving into groups of migrating and endangered birds, radios blaring from the back of pickup trucks driving across the sand, and the destruction of dunes and nesting areas.
Driving along the beach for anything other than scientific research purposes poses danger to sea turtle hatchlings, nesting and migrating shorebirds, and more. It can damage vegetation, compact sand, and create ruts and tire tracks that can trap hatchlings and accelerate erosion, contributing to habitat degradation.
Driving along the beach for anything other than scientific research purposes poses danger to sea turtle hatchlings, nesting and migrating shorebirds, and more. It can damage vegetation, compact sand, and create ruts and tire tracks that can trap hatchlings and accelerate erosion, contributing to habitat degradation.
Submit the form below to let the Georgia Department of Natural Resources know you disapprove of their lax regulation and enforcement of beach driving permits on Cumberland Island.
A place so pristine – and in such peril – should have better protection.