Through October and into November the passenger boat keeps the same weekly rhythm it holds all year: three departures from Meridian on weekdays, with the morning boat at 8:30, and a slightly later start on weekends. The calendar matters more than the season. Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Day are the four days a year with no ferry at all, and the Sunday afternoon trip is offered only on the first two Sundays of each month.
What does not change with the season is who may ride. Sapelo is a limited-access island: there are no roads to it and no public dock except Hunt Camp Dock, used by hunters and anglers with a state license or lands permit. Seats on the ferry go to landowners and their pre-registered guests, and to people on the Reserve's public tours.
Georgia's other restricted barrier island on this site, Cumberland Island, works on a different model: a National Park Service concession sells tickets to anyone, but caps the numbers. Up the coast in South Carolina, Beaufort County contracts a boat to Daufuskie Island.
Three round trips most days, built around the holidays
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
| From Meridian Ferry Dock | From Marsh Landing Dock |
|---|---|
| 08:30 | 07:00 |
| 15:30 | 12:00 |
| 17:30 | 16:30 |
Tuesday and Thursday
| From Meridian Ferry Dock | From Marsh Landing Dock |
|---|---|
| 08:30 | 07:00 |
| 15:30 | 14:30 |
| 17:30 | 16:30 |
Saturday
| From Meridian Ferry Dock | From Marsh Landing Dock |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | 08:00 |
| 15:30 | 12:30 |
| 17:30 | 16:30 |
First and second Sunday of the month
| From Meridian Ferry Dock | From Marsh Landing Dock |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | 08:30 |
| 14:30 | 14:00 |
| 16:30 | 16:00 |
Other Sundays
| From Meridian Ferry Dock | From Marsh Landing Dock |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | 08:30 |
| 16:30 | 16:00 |
Sapelo Island Reserve ferry schedule, version of September 14, 2025, cross-checked against the University of Georgia Marine Institute's schedule; both read October 7, 2026 Sapelo Island NERR — Ferry Schedule · 2026-10-07
No public fare, but a fifteen-dollar tour
The general public cannot simply buy a seat. The Reserve sells ferry seats only to people booked on one of its scheduled public tours, and it does not list a separate boat fare for them; everyone else rides as the registered guest of an island landowner, who makes the reservation.
Public tours run on Wednesdays (8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m.–1 p.m.), except the last Saturday of the month, for at most 15 people in an air-conditioned bus or van. Book by phone with the Visitors Center on (912) 437-3224.
| Age 13 and up | $ 15 |
| Age 6–12 | $ 10 |
| Age 5 and younger | Free |
| Round trip, per person (cash or check) | $ 5 |
Tour prices from the Reserve's Public Tours page only (one official listing, read October 7, 2026): confirm them when you call to book. Marine institute fare from its ferry page, same date. Sapelo Island NERR — Public Tours · 2026-10-07
Visitors Center on the mainland, Marsh Landing on the island
Tour guests start at the Visitors Center; guests of a private host check in with the ferry staff at the dock.
Meridian Ferry Dock
The mainland dock is next to the Sapelo Island Visitors Center, which is where tour guests check in and where ferry passengers park; disabled parking is down at the dock itself. The center is open Tuesday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and closed on Sundays and Mondays even though the boat runs.
The University of Georgia's marine institute asks short-term visitors not to park beyond the sign reserved for island residents and commuters. You may drive to the dock to unload, then move the car.
Marsh Landing Dock
The island landing is Marsh Landing. Both docks have restrooms; the boat has none. From here the public tour continues in an air-conditioned bus or van; private vehicles reach the island only by barge.
The gangway down to the floating dock is new: in December 2024 the DNR installed a 91-foot aluminum gangway here, and a matching one at Meridian, after the old Marsh Landing gangway collapsed on October 19 that year.
Half an hour through the McIntosh County marshes
From Meridian, in McIntosh County, the boat crosses the salt marsh and tidal creeks to Marsh Landing on the island. Marsh Landing lies about four and a half miles from Meridian as the crow flies; the ride takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Sapelo covers 16,006 acres and is Georgia's fourth-largest barrier island. At its southern tip the 1820 lighthouse, restored in 1998, looks out over Doboy Sound.
Packing for a state-run island with no shops to speak of
- Leave the bike and the cooler
Bicycles, canoes, beach chairs, folding tables, oversized coolers or boxes and any liquid fuel are refused at the ramp.
- Bring repellent until mid-November
The Reserve's bug season runs from late February to mid-November. Repellent is on sale at the Visitors Center if you forget.
- Pets: rarely worth it
Pets are not allowed on the state tours. On the ferry they must stay out of the cabin and need proof of rabies vaccination.
- Ask about access in advance
Disabled parking is at the dock. For tour and facility access questions, call the Visitors Center before you book.
- Carry food and water
There is a small store and a snack bar in Hogg Hummock with irregular hours. Tour guests should bring their own snacks and drinks.
From Spalding's plantation to a state-owned island
Shell middens on the north end show people living on Sapelo some 6,000 years ago. Thomas Spalding bought the south end in 1802 and built a tabby mansion that served his plantation until the Civil War; enslaved Africans brought to work the rice and indigo fields were the ancestors of the Gullah-Geechee community that still lives in Hogg Hummock, the island's last private settlement. Howard Coffin rebuilt the ruined house in 1912, R. J. Reynolds bought it in 1934 and let the University of Georgia use the property for marine research, and in 1975 the Department of Natural Resources acquired the mansion and most of the island.
The ferry docks were back in the news in late 2024. On October 19 that year the gangway at Marsh Landing collapsed. In December the DNR had two new aluminum gangways installed, one at each dock, each 91 feet long, eight feet wide and rated for 260 people, or 52,000 pounds; independent engineers were hired on behalf of the state attorney general to investigate the failure.
Before you plan a Sapelo crossing this fall
Can I just buy a ticket for the Sapelo Island ferry?
No. Seats are reserved by island landowners for their pre-registered guests, and the Reserve sells ferry seats only to people booked on a scheduled public tour. Call the Visitors Center on (912) 437-3224 to join a tour.
Does the Sapelo ferry sail on Thanksgiving 2026?
No. Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026, is one of the four days a year without a boat; the others are Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Day.
Which Saturdays this fall have no public tour?
The last Saturday of each month: October 31, November 28 and December 26, 2026. Wednesday tours run every week.
What does the Sapelo public tour cost?
$15 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and under, according to the Reserve's tour page. It lasts about four hours, including the boat.
Are bicycles allowed on the Sapelo boat?
No. Bicycles are on the list of items not allowed aboard, together with canoes, beach chairs, oversized coolers and liquid fuel.
Does the ferry carry cars?
No, it is passenger-only. Vehicles go to the island by barge, which visitors do not book.
Is the 2:30 p.m. Sunday boat from Meridian every week?
The Reserve lists it only for the first and second Sunday of the month; on other Sundays the departures from Meridian are 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Can a group stay overnight on Sapelo?
Yes: the Reynolds Mansion takes groups of 16 to 25 for a minimum of two nights at $285 per person per night with meals, and Cabretta Campground takes groups of 10 to 25.