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Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses to open for climbing

The Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses will be open for climbing this year from April 19 through October 14.
Credit: Jorge Moro, Thinkstock
Sunset at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

HATTERAS, N.C. — The Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses will be open for climbing in 2019.

Both will be open to the public from April 19 through October 14. 

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has 257 steps from the ground to the balcony level, which is equal to climbing a 12-story building. The Bodie Island Lighthouse has just over 200 steps from the ground to the top, or about a 10-story building climb.

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Both lighthouses do not have air conditioning or elevators. They may be noisy, humid, hot and dim inside. 

Visitors with heart, respiratory or other medical conditions, or who have trouble climbing stairs, should use their own discretion if they should climb the lighthouses or not.

The local Outer Banks community and park visitors are invited to climb the lighthouses for free on opening day, April 19. The free tickets will be available on a first-come, first served basis that day on site.

During the climbing season, tickets are sold at each location from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Climbing tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for senior citizens, children, and the disabled.

There will be full moon tours of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on June 17, July 16, August 15, and September 14.

Click here to learn more about the lighthouses.

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