Cape Hatteras National Seashore sets 2013 campground season

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s campgrounds at Oregon Inlet, Frisco, and Ocracoke will open to the public on Friday, April 5.  Oregon Inlet and Frisco Campgrounds will close at noon on Oct. 14.  Ocracoke Island Campground, on a reservation system, will close at noon on Oct. 28.  Cape Point Campground in Buxton, on Hatteras Island, will open Friday, May 24, for Memorial Day weekend and close on Sept. 2.

All campgrounds accommodate tents, trailers, and motor homes up to 35 feet.  Each campground provides rest rooms, potable water, unheated showers, grills, and picnic tables.  No hookups (utility connections) are available.

Camping fees at Oregon Inlet, Frisco and Cape Point are $20 per night.  The camping fee at Ocracoke Campground is $23 per night.  Holders of the Interagency Senior or Access passes and the Golden Age or Golden Access passes receive a 50 percent discount on their campsite.

Group camping is available only at Oregon Inlet Campground.  Fees for group camping are $4 per person per night (for groups of 7-30 people) including infants and toddlers. The group camping reservation number is 252-441-0882 and reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.

Ocracoke is the only National Park Service campground on the Outer Banks where visitors can make advanced reservations for non-group campsites.  Reservations can be made by calling 1-877-444-6777 or on the Internet at www.recreation.gov and can be made up to six months in advance.  Campsites at Oregon Inlet, Frisco and Cape Point Campgrounds are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

No more than six persons and two vehicles may occupy a single campsite.  Camping trailers, including pop-up campers, are considered vehicles.  From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, all camping is limited to a total of 14 days within a 30-day period.  Quiet hours are between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.  Generators may not be operated during these hours.

Camping in Cape Hatteras National Seashore is permitted only in designated campgrounds.  Camping on beaches is prohibited.  Pets must be physically restrained at all times on a leash not exceeding 6 feet in length.  For more information, please go to www.nps.gov/caha.