Cumberland Island National Seashore · Georgia

Nightingale Trail

0.8 mi of trail, end to end · about 20 ft of climbing · 37 ft–59 ft · hiking

42 ft 56 ft · 0.5 mi high 58 ft

Hike the Nightingale Trail the Park Service's write-up

20-30 Minutes · no dogs · entrance fee applies

Sign with text "Nightengale trail" with a path leading into the forest beyond.
The maritime forest is a great place to find some solitude. Photo: NPS Photo

The Nightingale Trail is a U-shaped trail that traverses the middle of the maritime forest. The trail is 0.8 miles long with trail heads along the Main Road and Coleman Avenue (near the Dungeness support area). The trail is entirely in the maritime forest and does not access the beach. For day trippers and south end explorers, the trial is a great way to experience the grandeur and solitude of the forest without heading into the wilderness area. The trail is lined with dense saw palmettos and the canopy consists of large mature live oak trees, dripping with muscadine vines and spanish moss. One may encounter a variety of wildlife along the trail including pileated woodpeckers, whitetail deer, and armadillos.

If starting from the main road, the trail goes east for 0.3 miles, south for 0.1 miles and southwest for the remaining 0.4 miles. If starting from Coleman Avenue, the trail goes northeast for 0.1 miles, north for 0.1 miles and west for the remaining 0.4 miles.

Pets Pets are not allowed on the ferry, but are allowed on private boats. They must be leashed at all times. Please pick up after your pet and pack out the waste.

Accessibility The trail has a well packed, sandy foot bed. During prologed dry periods, several sections of soft sand can develop. There is little to no elevation gain/loss. The trail is wide enough for a beach wheelchair. Bikes are not allowed on any of Cumberland's trails.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 40 trails in Cumberland Island National SeashoreFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.