closed
NC 12, Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe; Hatteras Island to visitors; seashore ORV rampsDare & Hyde Cos., North CarolinaVisitor entry resumes only when Dare County announces itchecked Oct 20
Trail reports
Hatteras Island stays closed to visitors until the road is no longer threatened. Seashore off-road ramps are closed for weather.
By Outdoor Unc
Ocean overwash has closed North Carolina Highway 12 between the Marc Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe, Dare County said, and the mandatory evacuation for Hatteras Island visitors remains in effect.
Visitors are not allowed onto Hatteras Island, and the county says visitor entry will resume only after the storm has passed and NC 12 is no longer threatened by overwash. Residents and people with Priority One, Two or Three reentry permits are authorized to enter, but that does not let anyone drive through the closed section; everyone must follow NCDOT barricades. The evacuation applies only to visitors on Hatteras Island, not to residents or to the beaches north of Oregon Inlet.
On Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the off-road vehicle ramps on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands are listed as closed due to weather on the park's conditions page, updated October 20. If you have a Hatteras reservation, the county's advice is not to travel toward the island until it announces that restrictions are lifted.
Dare County's emergency information line is 252-475-5655, and its bulletins are at DareNC.gov/Storm.
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open
Razor clam digs: Mocrocks Oct 26 and 29; Copalis Oct 27 and 28Grays Harbor Co., WashingtonNoon to midnight only; Long Beach and Twin Harbors closedchecked Oct 20
Fishing
Four evening digs, one beach at a time. Long Beach and Twin Harbors stay closed for marine toxins.
By Outdoor Unc
Washington Fish and Wildlife has approved the first razor clam digs of the season, at Copalis and Mocrocks beaches only, October 26 through 29. Long Beach and Twin Harbors remain postponed until further notice because of elevated marine toxin levels.
The digs alternate beaches to line up with the lowest evening tides, with digging allowed noon to midnight only: Monday, October 26, Mocrocks, low tide 7:18 p.m. at minus 1.2 feet; Tuesday, October 27, Copalis, 8:01 p.m., minus 1.5; Wednesday, October 28, Copalis, 8:47 p.m., minus 1.5; and Thursday, October 29, Mocrocks, 9:38 p.m., minus 1.2. The best digging is one to two hours before low tide.
Expect fewer digging days than usual at Copalis and Mocrocks this season; the summer survey found fewer clams there than in recent years. Toxin testing continues and can cancel a dig at any moment, so check the department's emergency rules page before driving out, and plan for traffic at the beach approaches.
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Surfing
Lifeguards at Huntington and Bolsa Chica logged more than 3,500 incidents this year. The warm water bringing them, and dorado and yellowfin, should last through winter.
By Outdoor Unc
Lifeguards at Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches have recorded more than 3,500 stingray incidents so far in 2026, compared with just over 1,400 in all of 2025, California State Parks superintendent Bryan Entyre told the Department of Fish and Wildlife's marine management blog. Round stingrays hide under a dusting of sand in shallow water and sting waders who step on them; the stings are rarely lasting but painful.
The likely driver is warm water. A marine heat wave and a strong El Niño have both been confirmed in the Pacific, the department notes, citing NOAA, and the unusually warm water along California's coast will very likely continue as El Niño arrives this fall and winter.
Anglers are seeing the same shift. Species usually found off Mexico, such as yellowfin tuna and dorado, have followed the warm water north and are being caught more often off Southern California, while anchovy and squid have moved to deeper, cooler water. Olive ridley sea turtles nested on Southern California beaches this year for the first time on record.
El Niño can also raise sea level and tides along the coast, the department says, which matters on south-facing beaches already seeing tidal overflow during this week's surf.
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notice
Antlerless deer muzzleloader season, permit holders onlyStatewide, VermontOct 29 to Nov 1checked Oct 20
Hunting
By Outdoor Unc
Vermont's four-day muzzleloader season for antlerless deer runs October 29 through November 1 and is open only to hunters who received an antlerless permit; a hunting license and muzzleloader license are also required. The permit can be used now, in the November 14 to 29 regular season or in the November 30 to December 13 muzzleloader season, for one antlerless deer. Report a deer within 48 hours online, with photos, or at a big game reporting station, and field-dress it before reporting.
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