cape lookout lighthouse

You will need to take a ferry over the island. Many that went with us had picnic baskets and lots of stuff for a day trip. I guess you can also camp on the island overnight and many were bringing equipment to do that. (We went just for the day.) If you're brave enough you can climb the lighthouse for a fee. (It is a very long climb so be sure you're in good enough shape to do it. During the summer I'm sure the tower can get pretty hot. I also would not recommend climbing if you are claustrophobic.)

October 21, A beautiful day in October with Capt Monty Poling at the helm we left Town Creek Marina around 10:30. As we left Beaufort we saw dolphins jumping or should I say just gliding out of the water. Capt Monty stopped and told us about the different islands, ponies and horses. As we neared the Cape, he provided much historical information about the islands, how people used to live, who owned the houses and hopes for the future of the islands. He did not rush us through our tour, timing was perfect. Capt Monty is very informed about the area. Being a "local" I was aware of some of the information but I learned a lot from our trip yesterday. I felt very safe the entire day and Capt Monty was very concerned about our safety and very helpful as we entered and exited the boat. I would highly recommend Capt Monty and Seavision Charters for your next visit to the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.

Great early morning adventure. Must take a hat and sunglasses. It is very hot and nothing is air conditioned at the lighthouse. Take food and drinks if staying more than 4 hours. It is a great lighthouse to visit and getting there on the boat is fun also. Ask if your boat ride will allow you to see the horses. Have fun!!!

We drove the extra distance to get to the lighthouse from Harker's Island and enjoyed the park area in that region before catching the short ferry ride over to the lighthouse. The Park Service contracted a ferry service that has regularly scheduled ferries to take you over for a small fee per person. There is a boardwalk that will take you to the rangers station/restroom-shower facilities, to the lighthouse and to the oceanside of the narrow island. Overnight camping is allowed and there were a few brave souls doing just that. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we went back the next day. The Park Rangers are all nice and it was a great pleasure absorbing all of their knowledge about the island. The Keeper's House is set up as a museum and that's nice too.

Had a blast climbing the 140 feet to the observation deck. Lighthouse is a treat to visit. View is gorgeous

Went to Cape Lookout the three times in two years. Take the fairy over and the Captains give history on the way, also you can see the wild horses. Once you are there you have to go to the Beach it is amazing!!! The shells we found last year were great also, we didn't find them as well this year most of they were broken. This year we played in the water on the sound side, and the water temps true is truly warmer. The light house has amazing views at the top. The next time I hope to take the truck trip down to the point for shelling. My overall it is worth the $15.00 per person to fairy over.

My family and I spent about 3 hours at Cape Lookout. We didn't have a chance to actually climb the Lighthouse, but it was beautiful! It only took about 5 minutes to walk out to see the lighthouse, and another 5 to walk out to the Ocean side beach. The one mistake we made was not planning enough time to stay on the beach. I have never seen a beach so beautiful on the East Coast. If we had it to do over again, we would take the first ferry in the morning and the last ferry at the end of the day. Our plan was to see the Lighthouse and search for shells, but what we should have done is bring lunch, have swimsuits and a change of clothes (there is a place to change and bathrooms available). What we did right, was bringing containers for shells (they're AMAZING!), bug spray, and a lot of water. I am hopeful that we'll be back and can truly spend the day at Cape Lookout. It's so worth it, and the views from the beach of the Lighthouse are just spectacular.

Climbing the stairs to the top of the lighthouse takes effort.....but the reward is worth the climb. Stairs are wide, handrails are sturdy- there is a "rest" platform every 36 steps (scared of heights? This is not for you). Visitors should be somewhat physically fit to make the climb.

I got lucky and was able to book the Park Services's Moonlight Lighthouse climbs that started this year and quickly sold out for the season. Lighthouse climbs by moonlight are available for a single Thursday, Friday, Saturday weekend in June, July and August. Those dates in 2014 are scheduled around the super moon. Only one tour per night is scheduled, which is limited to 3 climbing groups of 10 people per group. Departure from Harkers Island is at 7:30 pm and return is around 10 pm. The ride to Cape Lookout is by pontoon ferry boat that comfortably seats 35 people. The trip takes about 20 minutes each way. We were in the 2nd climbing group (8:30), which means we got to see the spectacular sunset from the top of the lighthouse. The climb up takes about 10 minutes and we got about 15 minutes at the top. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy to the east and the moon didn't make an appearance until we were getting back on the ferry. This trip completed my climb of NC's major lighthouses (Lookout, Hatteras, Bodie Island, Currituck). You could tell the Park Service rangers loved their jobs. The historian ranger for the district was on our trip and his narratives really added to the trip. All of the rangers were friendly and very accommodating. Everyone visiting the North Carolina coast needs to make this trip.

Great place to visit and climb the lighthouse. The views and the refreshing breeze on top of the lighthouse are fantastic! There is also a beach to enjoy both on the ocean and the sound side.

Cape Lookout was the highlight among highlights on my OBX vacation. I can truly see why they call this the "Crystal Coast." The water was warm and beautiful and the sea shells incredible. The boat ride out was really smooth and the views from the top of the lighthouse were awe inspiring. The beach was vast and the crowds minimal. I would love to return and campout on the beach for days on end. I was with a friend, but the whole time wishing my wife was with me since it was so beautiful and natural. I plan on bringing her there sometime and sharing this gem with her. Do not miss Cape Lookout if you only do one thing in the OBX.

Take some binoculars and a good camera. From the top of the light house you can see around the entire island. The water was so blue and green! What a blessing to see God's beautiful creation!

We were concerned we might have missed a trip to get to the light, but we were assured they would get us there. It was $15 each to be ferried over. We didn't spend much time prowling around, as there were storms moving in and we were the last boat over; they asked if 45-60 min would be enough. Fast moving boats (I lost a contact on the trip over...225 horse engines; make sure you have sunglasses!). Time on the island was enough for us. Tower open at times, wasn't the day we were there. Tickets must be reserved for climbing. Good preservation.

Lots of walking and climbing. Well worth the $15. You can stay as long as you want to, ferry runs every 30 minutes. A beautiful, natural island with lots of wildlife and shells.

The lighthouse was cool and going up inside of it cool lots of good pictures oppurutunities,dissapointed with mule train which was a truck pulled wagon to bring you 3 and a 1/2 miles through the high sand to the oceanfront to go shelling,never happened because the left early for the day at noon and never told anyone,wasted an hour waiting for nobody to come we were very dissapointed....