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Cape Hatteras National Seashore Lighthouses To Open April 15 For The Summer Season

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By NPT Staff - March 10th, 2016

The summer season for climbing to the top of the Cape Hatteras Light and the Bodie Island Light kicks off April 15 and runs until October 10/NPS

April 15 is your deadline to file your 2015 tax return, and it's also the date that the lighthouses at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina will open for the summer season.

Outer Banks Group Superintendent Dave Hallac says the Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses will be open to the public on that date. Tickets for those hoping to climb the stairs to the top are can be purchased daily from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at each lighthouse.

Climbing tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for senior citizens (62 or older), children 11 years of age and under, and those holding a National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Access Pass. Tickets are available on a first come/first served basis and can only be purchased in-person at the site the day of the climb. There are no advance ticket sales.

Children must be at least 42 inches tall, and children under 12 must be escorted by a person at least 16 years old.

Climbing the lighthouses is strenuous — climbing the Bodie Island Lighthouse is equivalent to climbing a 10-story building; climbing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is equivalent to climbing a 12-story building. 

Superintendent Hallac invites members of the local Outer Banks communities and park visitors to tour/climb the lighthouses at no charge on opening day, Friday, April 15. Free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and can only be obtained in-person, that day, on-site.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse operations will not move to a 5:30 p.m. closure as it had previously during the height of the summer season. The current 4:30 p.m. closure better reflects visitation patterns of that peak season (as attendance dramatically dropped after 4:30 p.m.) and provides for better efficiencies in managing operational costs.

Inside Cape Hatteras Light/Kurt Repanshek

Round and round and round you go climbing to the top of Cape Hatteras Light/Kurt Repanshek

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