Is it true that the beaches on Cape Hatteras National Seashore are closed during the spring and summer?
No, it is not true. The only “resource closures” that are closed to ORV use are in those areas used by nesting birds or needed by baby sea turtles to safely reach the ocean. These closures are reopened when birds complete nesting and chicks fledge (leave the nest)—typically around late August—or sea turtle hatchlings have hatched and made their way to the ocean. At the peak of the 2009 breeding season, only a maximum of 13.7 miles of the seashore’s 67 miles of beach were temporarily off limits to ORVs for wildlife protection. At that same time, ORVs could drive on 22 miles of beach and people could walk to visit another 26 miles of the Seashore. In fact, with those temporary closures in place, pedestrians could enjoy 10 miles more of vehicle-free beach than after the breeding season. For up to date information on closed and open areas at the beaches, visit the Park Service website’s interactive beach access map at: http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/googleearthmap.htm.
