Cape Hatteras NPS Campground

[Huck]

Arrived Tuesday. Nice weather - mid 80's and sunny during the day and mid 70's at night.

Had a big storm last night. Thunder and lightning off in the distance for about a half hour. Then big wind for about a half hour. When it let up a little, went out to check my Clam tent. Tightened up the ropes a little and came back in. Then it poured for about a half an hour and the wind started again.

The top of a Clam tent pops up and the wind had unpopped it, so it was a basin just waiting to be filled with rain. I ran out and popped it back up again because I was afraid the weight of the water might damage the tent. It came through the storm fine.

Almost all the tent campers left today. Most didn't make it through the storm undamaged. I talked to a woman who said they had been camping here during the summer for years and never had a problem before last night. The wind collapsed their tent (husband and wife) so they moved into their son and his wife's tent. Then that one collapsed too.

There are over 200 sites in just this one campground and maybe 20 are being used. There's another NPS campground (Frisco) just up the road and it has lots of vacancies too. Only $10/night if you have a senior pass.

The only problem I have had is the wind keeps blowing out the propane burner for refrigerator. I ended up throwing out all the food I had brought with me. First trip, the refrigerator froze everything and this time it only cools down to about 55.

[Al and Cindy K]

Wind can definitely be brutal for tents and sun shelters on the Outer Banks. You may have already noticed this but the NPS Frisco campground does have a number of sites that offer decent protection from the elements. Many on the outside of upper loop in in the P5x range are cut into the vegetation. P59 has a well sheltered tent site and picnic table that's not visible from the road. Others on the cross roads are low and protected to some degree by the dunes.

We had the same problem with the fridge burner in our 16' if we were in any of the open sites. The larger unit in our 19' seems to be more tolerant.

Orange Blossom Cafe in Buxton has great breakfast pastries and sandwiches; the Apple Ugly is awesome. Diamond Shoals does a good job on seafood.

Hope the weather improves and you enjoy your stay.


Al

[blodn1]

Hey, Huck! Glad you're out and about. That storm had hurricane speed winds and lots of lightening. Some people say they'd never seen anything like it, except in a real hurricane. Electricity in Virginia Beach was out in some places until yesterday. I'm glad you made it through, and hope the rest of your stay is more pleasant.

[mary and bob]

In that very same campground, a few years ago, we saw one popup flipped over on it's side, a couple others with the tops collapsed, and several tents blown away. Have only done one overnight there since.

[Green Frog]

Twenty years ago, about this time of year I was camping down at the State Campground at Salvo, NC. I thought it was pretty funny when the popup dome tent went rolling away in the wind like half a beach ball, taking my friend who had been napping in it and some luggage along as well. Glad I've got my Burro now... if that blows away, it's a little more serious!

Froggie

[Mike Magee]

Next time you might try this trick. Get a cheap furnace filter, cut a piece to fit, and put it just inside the vent to somewhat block the wind. Fridge cooling may be hampered if it reduces vertical air flow, but at least the thing shouldn't blow out.

[Borrego Dave]

One funny story of wind but in the desert. 30 years ago I had a cabover, had the jacks down for stability. Late one night the wind kicked up to around 50 mph and the camper started rocking pretty good since I was parked sideways to the wind. The wife woke up and ask if we were going to flip over . Of course I said no. She went back to sleep......and I was wide awake thinking oh dang, this may be bad. It didn't. Still camp there but now make sure the rear of my rig is facing the wind direction and just enjoy being rocked to sleep.
I like the suggestion of using a filter to block some of the wind, I could of used that.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by blodn1

Hey, Huck! Glad you're out and about. That storm had hurricane speed winds and lots of lightening. Some people say they'd never seen anything like it, except in a real hurricane. Electricity in Virginia Beach was out in some places until yesterday. I'm glad you made it through, and hope the rest of your stay is more pleasant.

It didn't effect me that much, but I think every single tent camper left by the next morning.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Al & Cindy K

You may have already noticed this but the NPS Frisco campground does have a number of sites that offer decent protection from the elements. Many on the outside of upper loop in in the P5x range are cut into the vegetation. P59 has a well sheltered tent site and picnic table that's not visible from the road. Others on the cross roads are low and protected to some degree by the dunes.

Al

Frisco is the prettiest of the 3 (Oregon Inlet, Hatteras, and Frisco), but it is the worst for sand, thistles, and prickly pear cacti. At Hatteras, the campgrounds are grass and you can walk barefoot without pulling stickers out of your feet every other step.

[Al and Cindy K]

Originally Posted by Huck

Frisco is the prettiest of the 3 (Oregon Inlet, Hatteras, and Frisco), but it is the worst for sand, thistles, and prickly pear cacti. At Hatteras, the campgrounds are grass and you can walk barefoot without pulling stickers out of your feet every other step.

Fully agree about the abundance of sticky things at Frisco - but then we like southwest Texas a lot too! I've found the mosquitos to be less of a problem there than at the others, especially after a rain.

You can usually scrounge some pretty nice stuff in the campground dumpsters after a night of high wind and rain. I've salvaged enough EZ ups to put together two good ones and have more stakes, lines and tarps than I'll ever use.

Has the weather improved?

Al

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Al & Cindy K

Has the weather improved?

Al

Had some more rain but no wind to speak of. With no wind you really feel the heat and humidity, plus it allows the bugs out of the marshes.

I'm home now, but was there for a week and never got a mosquito bite. Even the flies weren't that bad. Gnats were bad for a couple of hours, but once the sun came out they disappeared. Lots of daddy long legs spiders.

I've been vacationing on Outer Banks for almost 50 years and I saw more sand crabs in 2 hours this trip than I have seen in all my previous trips combined. Maybe it is the time of year because I don't usually go in June.