Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras Lighthouses Free Opening Day Announced

Posted By Matt Artz on April 7, 2017

National Park Service Outer Banks Group Superintendent Dave Hallac has announced that the Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses will be open for climbing this year from Friday, April 21 through Monday, October 9, and on opening day, April 21, both will be fee free.

Ticket sales begin daily at 9am with the last tickets sold at 4:30pm at each site.

Climbing tickets for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 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.

Climbing tickets for the Bodie Island Lighthouse are $10 for adults and $5 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. Climbers must not weigh more than 260 pounds to climb the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

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 21 Free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and can only be obtained in-person, that day, on-site.

Full Moon Tours of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be offered on June 9, July 9, August 7, and September 6. Tickets can be purchased on recreation.gov starting at 10am three days prior to each tour date. Normal climbing restrictions apply. You must have established an active account on recreation.gov before you can finalize a ticket purchase.