One Outer Banks lighthouse to open for climbing this spring; another closed for third year

While one Outer Banks lighthouse prepares to open for climbing this tourist season, another will likely remain closed for a third year due to restoration efforts.

The 165-foot Bodie Island Light Station south of Nags Head will be open for climbing from April 26 to Oct. 9, the National Park Service announced this week. But the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton likely will stay closed to climbing for a third season because of an ongoing restoration project.

The 198-foot Cape Hatteras lighthouse’s iconic black and white swirl and interior will be repainted, the metal window frames will be repaired or replaced and the lantern may be changed to LED lighting.

The grounds also will see major changes, with the park service planning to restore some of the landscape and native grasses that were around the lighthouse before it was moved from the beach in 1999.

Four lighthouses dot the Outer Banks — the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Bodie Island Light Station, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Ocracoke Light Station. The Currituck lighthouse is privately managed and open for climbing. The Ocracoke lighthouse is not open to visitors.

At the Bodie Island lighthouse, climbing tickets will go on sale at 7 a.m. daily and may only be purchased on the same day of an intended climb. Tickets are available online only here.

Built in 1872, the lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Kari Pugh, kari.pugh@virginiamedia.com