Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Review

You need to find a few hours to stop at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse if you're on North Carolina's Outer Banks. It's not just an iconic lighthouse and location, but you'll have a tremendous view from its top and you'll be able to see how the Park Service was able to move the lighthouse away from the shoreline.

The lighthouse is located on Cape Hatteras near the village of Buxton on the Outer Banks. This is towards the southern end of the Outer Banks area. The lighthouse is a few miles off of Highway 12 on Lighthouse Road. There's plenty of parking and there's no fee to visit the area and no fee to park.

Once you've arrived there's a small visitors center area that has a ranger desk, small exhibit space and a restroom building. You can get information from the rangers and take in some of the exhibits. There's also a small gift shop should the need for souvenirs strike you. Just past the visitors center area you can buy tickets to climb the lighthouse. That ticket lets you climb the tower at a specific time. You'll meet up at the base of the tower where a ranger will give you a quick introduction. The 248 stairs are equal to a 12-story building, so there is quite a bit of climbing. On top you can spend as much time as you want and you'll get a 360 degree view of the surrounding area.

When you're back on the ground you can visit the light keepers homes that were moved when the lighthouse was moved. You can also walk out to where the tower used to be. When it was first built it was quite a ways back from the shoreline, but the shoreline has retreated over time and when they decided to move the tower, the shoreline was practically lapping at its base. They moved the lighthouse about 2,900 feet in order to prevent if from falling into the ocean.

My Take

I love visiting the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I love the view from the top, but not only that, it is interesting to see how the tower was moved and learn about the erosion of the shoreline. I didn't mind climbing the stairs, but my partner was a bit put off by the heights since the spiral staircase makes its way up the middle of the tower. Plus when you are on top, it's a long ways down. So if you have trouble with heights, you might be up against the tower when you get to the top. I'd also imagine that in the summertime, it gets very, very hot and humid inside so you may want to try to go on a cooler day.

I think a visit is well worth the time and even though you have to pay to climb the lighthouse, I think that's worth it too. You'll get to experience a bit of history, get a great view, and see how they saved the lighthouse. So if you're in the area, make sure you stop at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse!