14 Breathtaking Pictures from the Top of the Cape May Lighthouse

Climbing the Cape May Lighthouse

As someone who has spent practically my entire life in South Jersey, I must admit that until just a few weeks ago, I hadn't done something that I've been looking at for decades.

My daughter and I climbed to the top of the lighthouse in Cape May.

Sure, I've been to the lighthouse hundreds of times. I've taken hundreds of pictures of it. I've walked around it and have had picnics at it, but I've never been inside of it, nor to the top.

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Planning the Visit

This all started earlier this summer when we were trying to come up with cool things to do while she was out of school and out of the blue, I got the idea to go to the lighthouse. Why I hadn't thought of that decades ago is beyond me.

By dumb luck, we bought tickets online and wound up going the morning after a cold front had gone through, which meant that skies were clear, there was very little haze, and it wasn't horribly hot. It was an absolutely perfect day... we got so lucky!

You can buy tickets for just the lighthouse, or you can combine them with tickets to go to the top of the World War II Lookout Tower over at Sunset Beach (by the concrete ship ruins), which is what we did. Even though these two observation decks are relatively close to each other, their views are very different.

The Climb to the Top

When you walk into the lighthouse, you are, obviously, greeted with a spiral staircase.

199 steps get you to the top and, I must say, the climb was a lot easier than I thought it would be. There are six evenly spaced areas where you can stop and catch your breath and look out, which you probably want to do.

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Stunning Views from 157 Feet

At the top, you can walk around a narrow walkway that is 157 feet above the ground and, again, if you are lucky and the skies are clear, the views are absolutely stunning.

You'll easily see northward into The Wildwoods, all of the beaches of Cape May, Delaware Bay, the ferry going in and out, and you can watch the Cape May whale watching boat meander about (when it stops, keep an eye out for dolphins jumping everywhere).

We went on a weekday around lunchtime, so it wasn't crowded at all. In fact, for quite a few minutes, we were the only people at the top.

This is certainly something you really should check out as it doesn't take up a ton of time, the tickets are very affordable, and it's just a terrific experience all around.