This Land, Your Land

Croatan National Forest said Thursday it has opened nearly all of its day use sites and campgrounds after closing them with damages from Hurricane Irene.

The Pine Cliff Picnic Area remains closed as do all trails in the forest except for the Tideland National Recreation Trail at Cedar Point Recreation Area.

The Forest Service said shortly after Hurricane Irene struck August 27 that 60 percent of roads in the 160,000-acre forest were blocked by fallen trees. Since then, only Cedar Point Recreation Area, the Oyster Point campground and the Dixon's Landing canoe launch and campground reopened on September 8.

The Pine Cliff Picnic Area, below, in Croatan Nation Forest remains closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Click on the photo or the link above for more information.

Goose Creek State Park has reopened on its regular fall schedule of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the state Division of Parks and Recreation said on the park's website this morning. Campgrounds and some trails remain closed due to unsafe conditions caused by Hurricane Irene.

Farther south, the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail reports that extensive storm damage in the Croatan National Forest will likely mean the Neusiok Trail remains closed until next spring.

We've previously reported the National Forest alert that says only three recreation sites in the Croatan have reopened since the late-August hurricane, and about numerous downed trees in the campground at Goose Creek.

The FMST says in an email sent yesterday that "boardwalk, bridges and hundreds of trees were uprooted" along the 20-mile Neusiok, which is Section 36 of the MST.

"The damage is extensive enough that FMST volunteers are estimating that the trail may not reopen until next spring," the group says on its website.

The storm also caused breaches in five places in Section 38 of the MST, the Outer Banks from Ocracoke to Jockey's Ridge State Park. Temporary bridges over the breaches are expected to be in place by early October.

The U.S. Forest Service said today it was re-opening three campgrounds in the hurricane-stricken Croatan National Forest.

The Cedar Point Recreation Area near Swansboro, which includes a family campground, the Tideland National Recreation Trail, a picnic area and a fishing pier, has reopened, as has Oyster Point Campground near Newport. The Dixon's Landing canoe launch south of Maysville, which allows primitive camping, has reopened as well.

Other Croatan Day Use Areas remain closed, including the Neuse River Recreation Area.

The Forest Service said shortly after Hurricane Irene struck August 27 that 60 percent of roads in the 160,000-acre forest were blocked by fallen trees.

The Tideland Trail at Cedar Point Recreation Area opened Wednesday. Click on the photo for more information.

We spent some time in the Croatan National Forest the week before Hurricane Irene hit, and have added pages to Carolina Outdoors Guide about some of the forest's day use sites and campgrounds that we hope you'll check out.

Recreation sites within the forest remain closed, with about 60 percent of roads blocked by downed trees as of Tuesday, and we sure hope there's not too much damage.

We were particularly impressed with Cedar Point Recreation Area on the White Oak River across from Swansboro, with its Tideland National Recreation Trail (below) and the campground with its green-grass lawns. We were disappointed with the small RV campsites at Neuse River Campground.

The National Forest Service says approximately 60 percent of roads in Croatan National Forest "are impassable due to down trees" in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

All recreation sites will remain closed to the public until hazardous trees are removed and repairs are made, the news release says.

We covered additional parks damage and closings below.

In case we have to tell you, coastal parks are closed in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, including Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, the five National Wildlife Refuges, all day use sites and campgrounds in the Croatan National Forest, and campgrounds at the eight state parks in the coastal region.

State parks remained open for day use as of Wednesday (when the news release was, umm, released) but were to close on short notice as conditions warranted.

Here's where to get National Weather Service watches, warnings or advisories for North Carolina.

The popular Cedar Point Campground in the Croatan National Forest near Swansboro will require reservations for most sites beginning next week, the National Forest Service said Monday.

All but five of the family-style campground's 40 sites must be reserved through Reserve America beginning August 17. Campers will be able to reserve sites up to three days in advance.

Sites 1, 6, 15, 17 and 25 will remain first-come, first-serve, the news release says.

The Cedar Point Recreation Area offers hiking trails, fishing, a boat ramp and picnicking in addition to the campground next to a salt-water marsh and coastal forest near the mouth of the White Oak River.

The Neuse River Recreation Area in Croatan National Forest, also known as Flanners Beach, re-opened this week after renovations to its 45-site family campground and after tornado damage in April.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, aka the Stimulus, provided more than $500,000 to correct a backlog of maintenance and facility needs, the National Forest Service says in a news release.

The renovations include "noticeable improvements to a wide variety of facilities at the campground," including a new accessible restroom that replaces a dilapidated facility. Workers also resurfaced 19.3 miles of existing hiking and biking trails at Flanners Beach, as well as the Neusiok, Tidelands and Tidelands Connector trails, the news release says.

Work at Flanners Beach was complicated and its May 1 seasonal opening date was delayed after an F2 tornado hit the area April 16 and did extensive damage. "People familiar with the site will notice the reduction of trees at the campground," the Forest Service says, "but there is still plenty of shade across the recreation area."

Last weekend's tornado-laden storms did extensive damage that will keep the Neuse River Recreation Area near New Bern closed for the foreseeable future. The popular Croatan National Forest site, which includes Flanners Beach and a 45-site family campground, was to open for the season May 1.

The Sun Journal of New Bern reports that 30 different spots in the recreation area suffered some kind of damage in an F2 tornado that struck the area April 16. The report (which includes several photos) describes the campground as "covered with fallen trees and limbs" and said "huge pine trees lay on the beach" and "massive trees lay across" the picnic area.

"Trees were also lying across the 1.5-mile asphalt walking path that circles the campground," the newspaper said. "It had just been repaved. But now it will have to be checked for cracks and damage."

The recreation area usually opens March 1, but remained closed this spring as new bathhouses were built and the sewer system was repaired.

Check the National Forest Camping page on Carolina Outdoors Guide for additional Croatan National Forest campgrounds.