Partial Government Shutdown – What is Not Open and / or Available

The partial federal government shutdown on Saturday morning at 12 a.m. resulted in closures of all Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitors’ centers and many services, but the beaches remain open to the public.

All rules and regulations apply for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore during the shutdown, and a list of what is operational during this time is below.

What is Open and / or Available

• All oceanside and soundside parking areas in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CHNS) are open and accessible.
• All ORV ramps in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore are open and accessible.
• The Oregon Inlet Fishing Center is open.
• Printable permits for Beach Fires were available on the CHNS website as of Monday morning.
• A small number of staff – law enforcement personnel – have NOT been furloughed during the shutdown and are patrolling the beaches and other park service sites.

What is Not Open and / or Available

• New ORV permit purchases are not available at this time, either in-person or online, as the recreation.gov website has been temporarily disabled.
• Reservations for National Park Service campgrounds, (including Ocracoke, Frisco, Cape Point and Oregon Inlet), are not available at this time.
• All visitors’ centers have been closed, which generally includes accompanying visitors’ amenities such as restrooms.
• The Wright Brothers National Memorial is closed.
• The Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is closed.
• Social media accounts and websites for the National Park Service will not be updated.

Little headway was made over the weekend by congress on a compromise spending bill that would lift the government shutdown, however a key vote is expected at noon on Monday to reopen the government and fund it for three weeks.

The Island Free Press will continue to post updates on the shutdown as soon as they are available.