Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for St. Marys, St. Marys River, GA

Diesel fuel, electricity, water, ice, and a pump-out station are available at St. Marys.
A good haven for small vessels, particularly in northeasterly weather, can be found at St. Marys. Small craft also can obtain refuge in bad weather by anchoring near the pulp mill 1 mile up North River or near the bridges 16 miles above St. Marys on the St. Marys River. North River branches from St. Marys River about 2 miles above its mouth. In 1983, it was reported that a draft of 7 feet could be carried to the pulpmill dock up the North River.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
St. Marys River, the principal tributary of Cumberland Sound, enters from westward, and is a portion of the boundary between Georgia and Florida. The controlling depth in the channel to St. Marys is about 14 feet. Above St. Marys a vessel with a draft of 10 feet or less should have little difficulty going as far as Kings Ferry, 32 miles above the mouth, on a rising tide. The river is very crooked, and some of the turns are sharp. Caution is advised when entering the river, especially in late afternoon, as the indefinite shoreline of the surrounding marshlands make the unmarked channel in the first reach difficult to negotiate. The tank at St. Marys charted in 30°43.5’N., 81°32.8’W. is a useful landmark for navigating this stretch. Unpredictable currents have been reported in the entrance to the river, at the junctions with Jolly and North Rivers, and along the piers at St. Marys.
The town of St. Marys is on the north bank of St. Marys River, 4 miles above the mouth. The larger wharves here are used by fishing boats and have depths of about 13 feet alongside.