Additional Access Established at Cape Point

Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) has made additional adjustments to beach access in the Cape Point area in Buxton, per a Thursday update.

On Thursday afternoon, additional pedestrian access was provided along the east-facing shoreline to allow for walking to the tip of Cape Point. The pedestrian-only access begins at approximately 0.61 miles south of Ramp 44. Drivers of ORVs can travel 0.61 miles south of Ramp 44, exit vehicles, and access the tip of Cape Point by walking a short distance.

An adjustment to ORV beach access was also made on Thursday afternoon in the Cape Point area. ORVs can now travel south of Ramp 44 and continue around the west-side of the least tern protection buffer to reach a portion of the south-facing beach, commonly referred to as “the hook” side of the point.

A protection buffer remains in place within the interior of Cape Point to protect multiple least tern chicks. The adjustments that were made on Thursday are subject to change due to the mobility of the least tern chicks. Additional ORV and pedestrian access will be provided when possible.

For current beach access information, visit http://go.nps.gov/beachaccess.

In addition, on August 1, priority ORV ramps began opening at 6:30 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m.

All other designated ORV ramps open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Transition to night driving (24 hours a day) could occur as early as September 15, if there are no sea turtle nests along a given route. The priority ramps on Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke islands are ramps 2, 4, 25, 27, 43, 44, 48, 49, 70, and 72.