If spring is your favorite time to visit Cape Hatteras National Seashore, then you'll be happy to know that the Oregon Inlet, Frisco, and Ocracoke campgrounds are scheduled to open for business on April 1. Really!
Outer Banks Group Superintendent Mike Murray says the Cape Point Campground at Buxton will open May 27 in time for the Memorial Day Weekend.
The Oregon Inlet and Frisco campgrounds will remain open through Columbus Day, October 10, while the Ocracoke Campground will stay open through Halloween.
All four of the seashore's campgrounds can handle tents, trailers, and motor homes up to 35 feet. Each campground provides restrooms, potable water, unheated showers, grills, and picnic tables. No RV hookups are available, though.
Camping fees at Oregon Inlet, Frisco and Cape Point are $20 per night. The camping fee at Ocracoke Campground is $23 per night. Holders of the Interagency Senior or Access passes and the Golden Age or Golden Access passes receive a 50% discount on their campsite.
Group camping is only available at Oregon Inlet Campground. Fees for group camping are $4 per person per night (for groups of 7-30 people) including infants and toddlers. The group camping reservation number is 252-441-0882 and reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance.
Ocracoke is the only National Park Service campground on the Outer Banks where visitors can make advanced reservations for non-group campsites. Reservations can be made by calling 1-877-444-6777 or on the Internet at www.recreation.gov and can be made up to six months in advance. Campsites at Oregon Inlet, Frisco and Cape Point Campgrounds are assigned on a first come first served basis.
No more than 6 persons and two vehicles may occupy a single campsite. Camping trailers, including pop-up campers, are considered vehicles. Parking space for extra vehicles is limited, so please make arrangements to park your extra vehicle outside the park or rent an additional campsite. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, all camping is limited to a total of 14 days within a 30-day period. Quiet hours are between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Please be considerate of fellow campers. Generators may not be operated during these hours.
Camping in Cape Hatteras National Seashore is permitted only in designated campgrounds. Camping on beaches is prohibited. Pets must be physically restrained at all times on a leash not exceeding 6 feet in length. For more information, please go to www.nps.gov/caha.
Comments
My daughter works at the outdoor center at East Carolina University. She is often leading trips to the West Carolina mountains to take folks hiking and rock climbing. She stays on the lookout for backpacking trips that are interesting and fun.
I thought I would find out if there is anything in eastern NC, preferably along the outer banks coast, where she could take students on a 2-3 day backpack trip. Maybe it could be a trip that would incorporate more than one outdoor resource, such as biking or sea kayaking.
I've seen something that said there was camping only in formal camping areas. Are any of those areas remote or are you aware of an area where they may be able to camp. One often thinks of students as less than environmentally concious but I've been impressed with their strong emphasis on leaving no footprint.
She does look for something that is a WOW factor that will help to make the trip a success. This would be something she would likely do when the weather gets cooler but it might be something we could do in a practice run together.
Jim Barger
Tell her unless she is into mass quantities of closure signs as a WOW factor then she needs to wait until the breeding seasons end for Cape Hatteras.