Cape Cod National Sea Shore "Oversand" Beach Day Sept 13-15 2019

Afternoon all,

I am setting up an outing to go "explore" the Cape Cod National Seashore. I went here on the last weekend of September in 2017 and could not have asked for a better weekend. the weather was perfect and the crowds, even in Provincetown, were non-existent.
What the park provides is the opportunity to drive through the dunes to a coastal beach road the follows approx 75 miles (???) of the coast. Our group went out Saturday morning and stayed out all day exploring the beach, sighting whales and seals, and having a bonfire.
Currently the entire corridor is closed but the nesting season should be past and the corridor should slowly open sections back up over the next month.

tentatively I would like to set this up for September to keep the crowds, wait, and cost down.
As the time comes and the weather changes we can evaluate what weekend works best.

THINGS TO KNOW
First-And-Foremost: Any 4x4 can do this. air down your tires and go. I started at 15 PSI and had to air down more last time. Low range also helps to keep trans temps down.

1. It costs $50 for a 7 day vehicle pass- there is no 1 day option
2. You have to provide documentation for vehicle registration, insurance and a DL
3. You have to sit through a 20 min training video
4. Your vehicle will get "inspected" for the following requirements.

• Shovel: Heavy-duty shovel equal to a military folding shovel

• Towing Device: Any of the following which are at least 14 feet long:
  Tow Strap: 1.5"; Rope: 3/4"; Chain 5/16"; Cable 1/4"

• Jack: Standard size (e.g., vehicle manufacturer's jack)

• Jack Support Board: Wood: 10" x 12" x 1.5" or Plywood: 10" x 12" x 3/4"

• Tire Pressure Gauge: Must register to 5 p.s.i. or lower

• SCV's and pick-up truck campers must also have a fire extinguisher and permanently mounted holding tanks for gray and black water.

• Spare Tire: Must meet tire standards outlined below- an oem spare will suffice. It does not even have to be a fullsize spare.

5. 15 MPH speed limit
6. You have to pay for a beach fire permit- but only 1 is needed per group.
7. There is no camping on the beach unless in a SCV
8. You are on a legal road. No open container or drinking
9. dogs allowed with exceptions
10. you can fish from the shore


PLEASE READ THIS LINK AND ALL THE SIDE MENUS

https://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/cape-cod-national-seashore-oversand-beach-driving.htm



VERY Tentative plan

Friday night/afternoon- arrive at selected campsite. I stayed at AdventureBound last time. It was affordable and well equipped with a clean shower house (My wife is incredibly picky and even she thought they were clean). From here you can walk a trail to the beach. But this is very "domesticated." There are dozens and dozens of permanent RV with artificial yards, garages etc for rent so you definitely don't feel the camping atmosphere.

Saturday morning- head to ranger station for inspection and permits. spend the day on the beach, exploring the road, lighthouse marshes, or just sitting ocean side.

Sunday- pack up, explore the boardwalk around p-town and other sights.

I would like to keep this to under 10 trucks. I will call and check if there are any regulations on the size of groups allowed.

I will update those that are interested.

this would be a nice opportunity for those with spouses or families as well.

Those interested
@jmferg
@MurderedTacoV2
@SR-71A
@Skierrichy
@e36graduate
@Ferball
@Masshole_And_His_Taco

 

This sounds cool, never been on a beach trip before! Will ask the GF if she wants to attend but im down for a little road trip to the cape. The days work perfect too, only gotta take one day off if i leave friday night, would probably show up around 8-9pm. We wanna get campsites all near eachother, and i assume we are going with adventurebound? Count me in for now!

 

Im down for some sand driving for a change

 

This may work out for me as family are typically in ptown year round.....

 

@Bruce988jl

 

Depending on the weekend sounds like a good trip. Thought about doing it a few years ago but the beach was closed off.

 

@m603holden I know this year is pretty busy for you guys, but FYI this is a thing

 

The tentative dates I see would be
September 6-8
September 13-15
September 20-22

these are all dependent on weather (temperature) and the opening of the beach sections.
September is also prime Great White season so if there are any seals around, stay out of the water. Two people were attacked in wading depth water last year.

These would be Friday Night to Sunday. I would expect most people to arrive Friday night to setup camp due to drive distances. I would have a 4-1/2 hour drive

 

Any dates work for me as of now so lets get it on a calendar. What works best for everyone else? I got a 3.5 hour drive if you add in traffic on a friday night

 

Easily a 4 hour drive for me, and Im not sure I want to be in traffic down there on a Fri evening. So I may just roll in Sat morning and join the group late, idk yet

Sept 13-15 is probably the best weekend for me as of now

 

Sept 13-15 sounds good to me.

 

Monthly map update. Look at that little section of green that opened up! I am still hopeful that by September, a much larger section of green will open up

 

Sharks!!!! Lots of sightings down here this summer!!! This should be fun! Pic of beaches down on cape for attention!

 

Edit, I was way off. Legally, this is about 22 miles of OHV beachfront road not including the dune roads to and from the beach.

 

What could possibly go wrong with great white sharks on Friday the 13th. Count me in, or on the 27th.

 

SEPT 13-15 count me in (as long as I can get the 13th, and 14th off.., should'nt be an issue) , been looking for another trip, and I have vacation the following week (so if anyone has any ideas of places to explore afterwards...

 

We should decide on a date soon-ish, just for the sake of planning and getting this on the calendar

 

I just got approval for the 13th-15th off..

 

For Friday the 13th through Sunday morning the 15th, I booked Premium tent site 266 at Adventure Bound North Truro. If you use promo code : fall, you'll get 20% off.

Between work and a funeral (my niece is getting married), this is the only weekend I have off in September, so I'm going camping. I might be the only one there, but I'm still going Shark Camping on Friday the 13th.

 

September 13-15th sounds like the best for everyone (including myself)
I will book a site along the back left (260s) later this week.
If for some odd reason the highway doesn't open up or closes due to storm wash, I still plan on camping, heading to public access of the beach and doing some shore fishing.