Cape Hatteras is closed for climbing in 2026. If you want stairs and a lantern room this year, you drive north to Bodie.
Tickets go on sale through Recreation.gov at 7 a.m. on the day of your climb only — there's no advance booking, and there's no walk-up window sale either. Set an alarm. Be at the base of the lighthouse a few minutes before your scheduled time; there are no refunds for arriving late and missing your slot.
$10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and older; children 11 and under and disabled visitors climb free. Just over 200 steps, roughly a 10-story climb. Minimum height 42 inches; there's also a 260 lb weight limit for the stairwell. Bring water in a non-glass bottle — no glass allowed in the tower.
Regular daytime climbs run the full season, April 22 through October 12, 2026, about every 20 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday evening climbs run June 11 through October 1, with start times shifting seasonally between roughly 7:30 and 9 p.m. Full moon climbs happen monthly from May through September — confirm the current month's exact dates and times on Recreation.gov before you plan around one.
The grounds, boardwalk, and lighthouse exterior are free and open year-round, climb ticket or not. The Double Keepers' Quarters — the visitor center and gift shop building beside the tower — has been closed indefinitely since an electrical fire in January 2025. Restoration work has reportedly begun, but there's no confirmed reopening date as of this writing. Don't plan a shop stop; do plan on the grounds being open.
Four lighthouses, four daymarks, easy to mix up if you're new to the Outer Banks:
Plan 45-70 minutes depending on NC-12 traffic and where along the route you hit turnover-day backups. Combine the trip with Coquina Beach or Oregon Inlet, both a short drive from Bodie Island — not with a 5 a.m. offshore charter the same day, since Bodie's morning climb slots and an early charter call don't mix well on one tank of sleep.
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A hat, a water bottle you don't mind carrying up 200 steps, real walking shoes (not flip-flops), and binoculars for the lantern-room view. Skip the drone — see our drone rules page before you even think about it here.
Wide-brim sun hat · Insulated water bottle · Lightweight walking shoes · Compact binoculars
No. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed for climbing in 2026 for restoration work. Bodie Island Lighthouse, about 45-70 minutes north of Avon, is the one you can climb this year.
Same-day only, through Recreation.gov, released at 7 a.m. the day of your climb. There's no advance booking. Be at the base a few minutes early — no refunds for arriving late.
$10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62+; children 11 and under and disabled visitors climb free. It's just over 200 steps, about a 10-story climb. Minimum height is 42 inches; the weight limit is 260 lbs.
April 22 through October 12, 2026, for regular daytime climbs, roughly every 20 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday evening climbs run June 11 through October 1. Full moon climbs happen roughly monthly, May through September.
Yes — the grounds and boardwalk are free and open year-round. The visitor center and gift shop inside the Double Keepers' Quarters have been closed indefinitely since a January 2025 electrical fire, so don't plan a shop stop.
Bodie Island has two wide horizontal black bands on a white tower. Cape Hatteras has a black-and-white diagonal spiral. Cape Lookout (further south, different island) has black-and-white diamonds. Ocracoke is solid white.
This page is informational. Ticket availability, schedule, and closures change — confirm the current status before you plan a day around a climb.
Last reviewed September 2026.
Check dates and plan the 7 a.m. ticket alarm before you drive up.
Check available datesView the home & dock