Date: October 10, 2016
Contact: Pat Kenney, 252-728-2250 ext 3014
Harkers Island, NC – Cape Lookout National Seashore conducted assessments of park resources and facilities following Hurricane Matthew. Based on the conditions found during the assessments, effective at 7:00am on October 11, 2016 the following areas will reopen to the public, unless otherwise specified below:
Harkers Island & Beaufort
- The Harkers Island Visitor Center and park headquarters will open on a normal schedule.
- The Beaufort Visitor Information Center will operate on a normal schedule.
- Island Express Ferry Service will resume operations on Wednesday (10/12/16).Visitors should contact the ferry service directly for reservations at 252-728-7433
Shackleford Banks
- Island is open for visitors.
South Core Banks
- The Light Station Visitor Center and the Keepers' Quarters Museum will open at noon.
- Vehicle ferries from Davis serving Great Island are authorized to return to service. Visitors should contact the ferries directly for reservations:
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- Cape Lookout Cabins and Camps - at 252-729-9751
- Davis Shore Ferry Service - at 252-729-3474
- Great Island Cabins will reopen on Wednesday (10/12/16) to allow repairs to be made.
North Core Banks
- The ferry service at Morris Marina in Atlantic serving Long Point is authorized to return to service. Visitors should contact the ferry service directly for reservations at 252-225-4261.
- Long Point Cabins will reopen on Wednesday (10/12/16) to allow repairs to be made.
- Access on North Core is very limited. The area from Ramp 16 to Old Drum Inlet is open. The beach and back road north of Ramp 16 is closed to vehicles. The high surf today did not allow park staff to travel this section. The staff will be on the island tomorrow and hopefully conditions will allow travel north to protect resources and mitigate safety issues.
- Portsmouth Village will remain closed until further notice to allow for a full assessment to be completed.
The park is experiencing high surf and high tides. Also, visitors coming to the park should be sure to check the status of roads, since many areas inland from the park are experiencing record high flooding.
Anyone with questions or concerns related to cabin reservations should contact Recreation.gov (www.recreation.gov, or call 877-444-6777).Reservations canceled due to weather will be issued a full refund.
The National Park Service will post updates as needed on the park website at www.nps.gov/calo and via Facebook at www.facebook.com/CapeLookoutNPS and Twitter at www.twitter.com/CapeLookoutNPS.
