UPDATE: ORVs can reach Cape Point via Ramp 43
Recent heavy rain and ocean overwash in the areas of Ramp 43, Ramp 44, and the Cape Point Campground have left that part of the seashore under water again.
Hatteras Island District Ranger Joe Darling reported today that ORV access to Cape Point is now available via Ramp 43, though there is up to 8 inches of standing water in the ramp area. Ramp 44 is still closed because of “significant” flooding.
Darling also said that the Cape Point campground has “significant flooding” and that Lighthouse Road is open, though it has standing water up to 8 inches deep in places.
Ramp 49 in Frisco, he said, also has standing water that varies in depth up to 8 inches. And 1 mile of the new Inside Road is closed on the east end near Ramps 44 and 45.
All the ramps on northern Hatteras are currently open.
The Pole Road near Ramp 55 reopened early this week. And sand is pushed back up where the dunes were flattened on the east side of the Frisco Pier. The parking area of the pier is open again.
Ramp 72 to South Point on Ocracoke is also closed because of flooding.
Stormwater, flooding, and beach erosion have been a problem since several strong coastal storms and the passage of Hurricane Joaquin offshore brought record rainfall and heavy seas to Hatteras and Ocracoke in late September into early October.
More coastal storms through the winter — most recently on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7 — have caused erosion and carved out escarpments that have either closed ramps or made driving difficult to dangerous on some ORV routes.
