Cape Hatteras Lighthouses Open for Climbing Season

The Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island lighthouses open for the 2019 season with a day of free admission April 19.

The two lighthouses at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore will be open for climbing this year from Friday, April 19 through Monday, October 14. The third lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse, is not open for climbing.

Normally, climbing tickets for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are $8 for adults and $4 for senior citizens (62 or older), children (11 and under, and at least 42 inches tall), and the disabled. Climbing the Bodie Island Lighthouse costs $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens (62 or older), children 11 years of age and under, and the disabled.

Free tickets will be available onsite on a first come, first served basis beginning at 9 a.m. April 19 for climbs that day, a National Park news release says.

• See our Guide to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
• See our Guide to Lighthouses at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, above, and the Bodie Island Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore open for climbing April 19 to October 14 with free admission on opening day. 

The Bodie Island Lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Also, the National Park Service will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “move of the century” with daily interpretive programs on the epic journey the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse made when it was moved 2,900 feet to help protect it from an encroaching Atlantic Ocean shoreline in July 1999.  The 20 minute programs will be at 10:30 a.m. at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion starting May 3 and continuing through October 14.

Full moon tours of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be offered on June 17, July 16, August 15 and September 14. Tickets for the full moon climbs are available through www.recreation.gov starting at 10 a.m. three days prior to each tour date.

The 2019 camping season at Cape Hatteras National Seashore campgrounds begins Friday, April 12. The Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Frisco and Ocracoke campgrounds will remain open through December 2.

Visit Our Sister Site

Carolina Music Festivals, a calendar and guide to music festivals in North Carolina.