On Friday, March 20, Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) law enforcement rangers discovered an act of vandalism at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The Seashore has launched an investigation and seeks tips from the public to help catch those responsible for using an object to carve letters and other shapes into the lighthouse’s original bronze door. [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

On April 17, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) will host a drop-in volunteer beach cleanup effort at Coquina Beach Access on Bodie Island. Volunteers should meet Seashore staff at the bathhouse. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Concurrent with the [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

As air temperatures in the region increase, visitors planning to use Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s public boat ramps and kayak launches in the near future should be aware that water temperatures may be much colder. Along with dressing for the water temperature, not the air temperature, the U.S. Coast Guard recommends that boaters and paddlers [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

It’s been a year since the “Ocean Pursuit,” a commercial scallop boat, wrecked in Oregon Inlet. The 73-foot-long steel-hull ship ran into shallow water along the northern edge of the navigation channel on March 1, 2020 and the crew had to be airlifted to safety by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Since then, the Ocean Pursuit [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) announced several recent updates and news items related to recreational activities and seashore conditions on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. News items and events related to the National Seashore for the week of March 3 include the following: Seashore Updates January 2021 was the busiest January ever at Cape Hatteras [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) and Wright Brothers National Memorial had the highest levels of visitation in January 2021 than any other January on record. At the Seashore, January visitation records have been broken the last three years. In January 2021 the Seashore hosted 86,991 visits, an increase of 5,000 visits over January 2020 and [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Spring’s approaching but some winter visitors to the Outer Banks are still popping up on beach. On Friday, a harbor seal took a quick break from the ocean near Ramp 44 at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Seals are common winter “tourists” along local beaches, with at least a dozen taking a break on the Outer [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Restoration project is about to begin, and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) has created a new page on their website where the public can learn about the endeavor, and track the progress as the work is underway. Built in 1868-70, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has understandably suffered some wear and [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) recently opened a new beach access parking area on the oceanside of N.C. Highway 12, in between the villages of Avon and Salvo. The parking area is situated in between ORV Ramps 27 and 30, and provides access to the adjacent oceanside beach. The site is an unpaved parking [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Multiple days of rain, and erosion caused by wintertime swells, have led to the temporary closure of several off-road vehicle (ORV) routes, as well as difficult driving conditions at other beach access points on Hatteras Island. Per the Feb. 3 Beach Access Status, which is regularly updated by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS), Ramp [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

To protect the health of those who live, work, and visit national parks and National Park Service (NPS) facilities, and in support of President Biden’s Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing, the NPS is immediately implementing a mask requirement for employees, visitors, partners, and contractors. At Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh [...] Seashore News |  Full Article

Outer Banks Forever, the local nonprofit partner of your Outer Banks national parks — Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site — is pleased to announce it has been selected as one of 36 national park partner organizations to receive a Strong Parks, Strong Communities capacity building grant [...] Seashore News |  Full Article