An off-road (ORV) vehicle corridor has been established near Cape Point due to American oystercatcher breeding activity, per a recent beach access update from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The ORV corridor, which was implemented on April 5, begins at 0.26 miles south of Ramp 44 and leads vehicles directly to the Point, which remains open. Visitors interested in walking to Cape Point from the ORV Ramp 44 entrance will need to walk along the Bypass Road.
A pair of American oystercatchers were spotted exhibiting pre-nesting behavior near the Point, in a similar locale to previous years, and a buffer for the breeding/nesting activity has been established. When the buffers were modified in 2015, the new rules included an ability to place a driving corridor in front of the nesting areas, so that vehicles could pass through and access open areas of shoreline. As such, Cape Point will remain open for as long as possible using the wildlife buffers that were modified during the summer of 2015.
Currently, there are over 42 miles of beaches open for ORV access through April 15, when seasonal ORV routes through the villages are closed for the more popular visitor months. Visitors can view the status for all ORV ramps within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore at https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.
