Lighthouses will be open for climbing from April 15 – Oct. 10

Children must be at least 42 inches tall to climb the lighthouse, 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 and climbing the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is equivalent to climbing a 12-story building.

For more information on what to expect, check the park website www.nps.gov/caha.

Members of the local Outer Banks communities and park visitors can 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 this year, 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 — attendance dramatically dropped after 4:30  — and provides for better efficiencies in managing operational costs.

For more information, check the park website www.nps.gov/caha.