Bypass Road to Cape Point and Shelly Island Sandbar Re-opens

The bypass road off of Ramp 44 that leads to Cape Point is now open, per Hatteras Island District Ranger Karol Jones of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

A resource protection area to protect piping plover chicks was expanded to include the bypass road in late July. The two piping plover chicks in the area have successfully fledged, which resulted in the re-opening of the bypass road on Thursday morning.  

ORVs can also continue to reach Cape Point and the Shelly Island sandbar by driving along the beach as well, although the beachfront is often not passable around high tide. The roughly 1/2 mile long bypass road that was officially opened in February of 2017 provides a safer corridor to the Point for ORVs when the water is high, as it extends entirely behind the dunes. 

For more information on current beach access ramp status throughout the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, visit https://www.facebook.com/CapeHatterasNS/timeline.