Update as of 11/16/14: South Point Road is open again! But keep in mind the following information, just in case they need to close it again.

Yes, it's true that South Point Road is temporarily closed. The weather event that we had on Ocracoke on November 2nd brought soundside flooding, which has left puddles and mud. Today's rain won't help the situation. 

You can get to South Point by way of ramp 70 (a.k.a. airport ramp) – there are no resource closures and it's open all the way down to the inlet. Fun fact from Ranger Shane Bryan: it's only 3/10 of a mile longer to use ramp 70 to get to South Point. 

Shane says he checks South Point Road every day, and it's still muddy. They don't want to close it, but if they allowed ORV access, the road would get more torn up and take even longer to recover.

The problem, he says, is "It's been graded so much over the years without adding sand to it that the sand is gone and the water doesn't drain." 

Without a heavy equipment operator on the island, Ocracoke's NPS maintenance crew need to wait for someone to come down and grade the road again. They hope that over the winter, they can build the road back up so they won't have to close it for weather next year. 

Speaking of ORVs, the ORV permit office is taking up temporary residence at the Ocracoke NPS campground kiosk until Friday.

The permit office at the visitor center is full of mold, and mold remediation specialists will be treating it this week. The plan is for the clean-up to get finished by Friday, allowing the permit office to move back to its usual digs. In the meantime, if you or someone you know needs an ORV permit, go to the campground.  

Thanks to Ocracoke correspondant Crystal Canterbury for the scoop on NPS activities!

Also, don't forget to comment, if you wish, on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore's proposal to raise fees at the campgrounds. A thirty (30) day public engagement period on the proposed fee increase is open Monday, November 10, 2014 through Friday, December 12, 2014.  Feedback will be accepted via the National Park Services Planning, Environment, and Public Comment System (PEPC) at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/comment and U.S. Postal mail addressed to: Outer Banks Group Superintendent, Attention: Proposed Fee Increase, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC  27954.