199 Steps to the Top: Climbing the Cape May Lighthouse

If you are looking for the best view in South Jersey—and a bit of a cardio workout—look no further than Cape May Point.

Rising 157 feet above the dunes, the Cape May Lighthouse is the crown jewel of the Jersey Shore. It is one of New Jersey’s three “tall seacoast” lighthouses (along with Absecon and Barnegat) and serves as the primary aid to navigation for ships entering the Delaware Bay.

While millions of visitors have snapped its photo, fewer know the story of the two failures that came before it, or the persistent myth about a Civil War General that just won’t die.

Third Time’s the Charm

The lighthouse you see today is actually the third attempt to light this treacherous stretch of coast.

• The First Try (1823): Standing 68 feet tall, this first tower was built on land purchased from Mr. and Mrs. John Stites for $300. It lasted less than 25 years before erosion made it unusable.
• The Disaster (1847): A second lighthouse was built 400 yards northeast of the first. It was a failure from the start. A brutal 1851 inspection report described it as “rough and rudely built,” leaking, and rusty. It was so poorly constructed that it had to be demolished in 1862, just over a decade after it was built.

In 1857, the Army Corps of Engineers decided to stop messing around. They began construction on the massive, third (and present) tower. It cost $40,000—a fortune at the time—and was built to last with a double-wall design.

The Double Wall: The lighthouse is essentially two towers in one.

1. The Outer Wall: A cone-shaped brick exterior that withstands the wind and weather.
2. The Inner Wall: A separate cylindrical brick tube that supports the spiral staircase. This design allows the tower to sway slightly in high winds without cracking!

Busting the “Meade Myth”

If you take a tour, you might hear that Civil War General George G. Meade (the victor of Gettysburg) built this lighthouse. It is a great story, but it isn’t true.

General Meade did design the Absecon and Barnegat lighthouses during his time as a district engineer. However, by the time the Cape May Lighthouse was being built (1857-1859), Meade had been transferred to the Great Lakes. The credit actually belongs to Lt. William F. Raynolds, who oversaw the project.

The Evolution of the Light

When the keeper William C. Gregory first lit the lamp on Halloween night, October 31, 1859, he was using a massive First Order Fresnel Lens. These lenses were the “state of the art” technology of the 19th century, using glass prisms to magnify a small flame into a beam visible for nearly 20 miles.

That original lens is no longer in the tower—it is currently the centerpiece exhibit at the Museum of Cape May County in Cape May Court House.

Timeline of Technology:

• 1859: Oil lamp with Fresnel Lens.
• 1902: Upgraded to Incandescent Oil Vapor (IOV) lamp.
• 1933: Electrified.
• 1936: Automated (no more keepers needed).
• 2016: The rotating light was replaced with a modern VLB-44 LED beacon. While it lacks the romance of the old oil lamps, it is highly efficient and visible up to 24 nautical miles.

The Climb

The lighthouse is leased and managed by Cape May MAC (Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities). Thanks to their restoration efforts, you can climb the cast-iron spiral staircase to the top.

• The Count: It is 199 steps to the watch gallery (the outdoor deck).
• The View: On a clear day, you can see across the Delaware Bay to Delaware, and scan the Atlantic Ocean for dolphins.
• The Experience: Because of the double-wall construction, the climb is surprisingly quiet and cool, even on hot summer days.

If You Visit

The lighthouse is located within Cape May Point State Park, which is a destination in itself. After your climb, you can walk the nature trails, visit the WWII gun battery bunker on the beach, or engage in some world-class birdwatching at the hawk watch platform.

• Location: 215 Lighthouse Ave, Cape May Point, NJ 08212.
• Hours: Vary by season. Generally open daily in summer/fall, and weekends in winter.
• Tickets: Required for the climb; the ground floor / oil house is often free to view.
• Pro Tip: Sunset climbs are occasionally offered—check the MAC website for the schedule.

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For More Information

• Cape May MAC (www.capemaymac.org)