Bodie Island Light Station
On my way from Avon to Rodanthe I decided to stop at the Bodie Island Light Station to view the beautiful lighthouse. It was a spur of the moment stop and I really didn’t do any research on visiting the Lighthouse. When I arrived, I did not realize that you needed a ticket and reservation to climb to the top. Luckily being there in the off season allowed me to snag a same day ticket/reservation. At the time of my visit, tickets were $10.
Bodie Island Light Station
Before we were allowed to climb to the top of the lighthouse, a Park Ranger provided my group with a quick instructional session. During this session we learned that in order to preserve the structural integrity of the Bodie Island Lighthouse reservations are needed to limit the number of people climbing the stairs of the lighthouse at the same time. Surprisingly it’s not the weight too of people in the lighthouse that impacts the structure of the building, it’s the swaying motion caused by too many people climbing the stairs at one time that affects the building.
Each reservation time allowed 10 people to climb up, however only 1 person at a time was permitted to be on each flight of stairs. So as your group climbs, a single person ascends the flight of stairs and calls “clear” when they reach the landing allowing to the next person in line to climb. This process is simple but gets a little confusing when the group before you is descending. There are 214 steps to get to the top of the lighthouse.
Once I made it to the top it was really windy but incredibly beautiful. You get a 360 degree view of the scenery around the lighthouse which includes the Atlantic Ocean and the Roanoke Sound. In addition to the lighthouse, there are several short trails through the surrounding areas that give beautiful views of the lighthouse and the surrounding natural areas.
The lighthouse is a definite must see if you are in the area. You can grab your tickets to climb here.
