There is something about lighthouses that fires the imagination, standing guardian as they do over the edge of things: land and sea, life and death, hope and despair, fear and heroism, tempest and calm.
"Lighthouses are special to us because they represent different things to many people: history, romance, our maritime heritage, safety, security, home," observed Susan Abbott, president of the Nauset Light Preservation Society.
Cape Cod is home to more than a dozen of them, including Nauset Light in Eastham, which Abbott's organization manages in partnership with the Cape Cod National Seashore. And they attract many visitors, according to Linzy French, the Seashore's public information officer.
"In the top five, maybe even top three, questions we get at the visitors' center are questions about the lighthouses," said French.
That's not surprising to Ken Rose, operations manager at Highland Light in North Truro that's managed by another Seashore partner, Eastern National. The lights, after all, are "quintessential Cape Cod," he said.
"It's just what people expect when they come to Cape Cod," he said.
Cape Cod Light, also known as Highland Light, at 27 Highland Light Road in North Truro, offers tours. "We did about 18,000 tours last year," …Show more MERRILY CASSIDY/CAPE COD TIMES
How many lighthouses does Cape Cod have?
In all, there are 14 lighthouses on Cape, not counting those in Buzzards Bay, "which for a small area is a very high concentration," said Rose. "And at one time there were even more."
Five of the lights are privately owned and can only be viewed from a distance or if visitors are guests, as is the case with the West Dennis Light, once known as Bass River Light. That one is now operated as the Lighthouse Inn at 1 Lighthouse Inn Road, West Dennis. Wings Neck Light, also private, is available for rent at 1 Lighthouse Lane in Pocasset.
Hyannis Harbor Light in Hyannis and Sandy Neck Lighthouse in Barnstable, and Stage Harbor Light in Chatham are privately owned, too, and best viewed by boat or from nearby beaches.
What lighthouses can you visit on Cape Cod?
As for the remaining nine, some are more accessible than others.
"If you're looking for a really accessible lighthouse, Highland Light is the most accessible, and then Nauset is the second," said Rose.
Abbott also puts Highland Light at the top of the list of "most accessible," followed closely by Nauset, Nobska Light in Woods Hole and Chatham Lighthouse.
Not so easy to reach, French said, are in Provincetown at Long Point, Wood End and Race Point, and Monomoy Point Lighthouse within the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge at the Cape's "elbow."
One of the most challenging of Cape Cod's lighthouses to visit is Race Point Light in Provincetown. On May 19, in the photo, the light … Show more MERRILY CASSIDY/CAPE COD TIMES
Can you climb any lighthouse on Cape Cod?
Also known as Cape Cod Light, Highland Light, at 27 Highland Light Road in North Truro, is a popular attraction.
"We did about 18,000 tours last year," Rose said.
Commissioned by George Washington in 1796, it's the Cape's oldest lighthouse site. The present 66-foot tower erected in 1857 stands atop a 130-foot cliff.
"It's pretty tall for a lighthouse on Cape Cod. Most of them are in the 40-foot range," Rose said.
Visitors must be at least 48" tall to climb the 69 steps to the top because of the depth of the steps. And it's well worth the effort.
"It's a beautiful view. You can see all the way to Plymouth, which is 32 miles away," said Rose, noting the curve of Cape Cod Bay is also noticeable.
Highland Light is open daily from the first week of May through the last week of October. The shop is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and tours are offered daily, with the last one climbing the light at 4:30 p.m. The cost varies from $5 to $8 for adults, students, seniors and military members.
Can you drive to Nauset Lighthouse?
The winding stairway at Nauset Light. File photo. STEVE HEASLIP/CAPE COD TIMES FILE
Nauset Light stands sentinel at 120 Nauset Light Beach Road in Eastham. Its iconic red and white tower is perhaps the most recognized one of all of the Cape's lighthouses — that's because it's the one featured on Cape Cod potato chips bags.
No reservations are required when it is open for tours, which are free — although donations are appreciated. The grounds are open every day.
This year, Nauset Light will be open May 26, 4:30-7:30 p.m.; Sundays and Wednesdays in June, July and August, 4:30-7:30 p.m.; September 1, 8, and 15, 4:30-7:30 p.m.; Sept. 22 and 29, 1-4 p.m.; Wednesdays in September 1-4 p.m., and Sundays in October, 1-4 p.m. A "full moon tour" is planned on Oct. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The current 48-foot-high, 44-step light was moved to the site 1923 from Chatham, where it was no longer needed.
The 'Three Sisters' — a trio counted as one
The Three Sisters, like Nauset Light, are located within the National Seashore on Cable Road in North Eastham and managed by the Nauset Light Preservation Society. They are a cluster of three individual towers, one of which still has its beacon, but are often referred to as one light.
The grounds, which have a small parking lot, can be visited at any time of the year, but are not open for interior exploration except with guided tours, typically scheduled between June and September. Tours are free but reservations are required. Schedules can be found at the Seashore visitor center at Salt Pond, 50 Nauset Road, Eastham, or the Province Lands, 171 Race Point Road, or call 508-255-3421.
Can you go inside the Chatham lighthouse?
Chatham Light. File photo. STEVE HEASLIP/CAPE COD TIMES FILE
The 48-foot, 44-step Chatham Lighthouse, at 37 Main St. in Chatham, is home to the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 11-1. Overlooking Lighthouse Beach, the station was established in 1808 to stand watch over a particularly dangerous stretch of water with shifting sand bars and heavy surf known as the Chatham Bars.
Originally, the site had two towers and was long known as Twin Lights. Two beacons were necessary to differentiate the station from the Highland Light, since the technology of rotating beacons was not yet in use. In 1923, when rotating lenses were installed, one of the towers was moved to Eastham — it's now Nauset Light.
Free tours are on Wednesdays in July and August, and every other Wednesday through September (Sept. 5 and 11 this year), 1-3 p.m. Children must be at least 45" tall and accompanied by an adult.
Can you go to the Nobska lighthouse?
Nobska Light, at 233 Nobska Road in Woods Hole, is on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod where Vineyard and Nantucket sounds meet. It's stewarded by Falmouth and the Friends of Nobska Light.
Nobska Light grounds are open dawn to dusk. Tours for 2024 resume on June 4 and will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 10 a.m. in 15-minute intervals with a limit of six visitors per tour. The last tour is at 12:15 p.m. Children must be over 48" tall.
Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors and veterans, $5 children.
View |25 PhotosA rare look: Sandy Neck Light shines out over BarnstableBuilt in 1857, Sandy Neck Light looks out over Barnstable Harbor from its perch 40 feet above the dunes. Deactivated in 1931, relighted in 2007.
How do I get to Race Point Light?
Abbott, Rose and French all agree the most challenging of Cape Cod's lighthouses to visit are Race Point, Long Point and Wood End in Provincetown, and Monomoy Pointin Chatham. Visitors can go inside Race Point Light, but the other three are limited to grounds visits only.
Managed by the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, Race Point Light overlooks Massachusetts and Cape Cod bays at the outermost region of Cape Cod. Also offering accommodations, it's open for tours this year in June, July and August, on the first and third Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Visitors must either have a four-wheel drive vehicle with an over-sand permit or must commit to a long hike through soft sand. Children under age 4 cannot climb the ladder to the lamp room. There is a $5 suggested donation per person for anyone between the ages of 8 and 60.
Long Point and Wood End both call for long hikes of about 6.4 miles each, round trip, using a dike at the west end of Commercial Street in Provincetown. The dike stretches about 1.25 miles across Provincetown Harbor. The lights can also be accessed by walking from Herring Cove — a longer walk that could present obstacles at high tide or after storms when parts of the shoreline may be under water.
French said people who choose to walk out, even across the dike, should keep the tides in mind so they don't get stranded. An easier option, she noted, is by water. Flyer's Boat Rentals in Provincetown runs shuttles to Long Point seven days a week, every half hour 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from June 17 until Labor Day, and every two hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 5-12, weather permitting.
Monomoy Point Light is the most difficult to visit, accessible only by boat. For more information, go to www.fws.gov/refuge/monomoy, stop by the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge headquarters at 30 Wikis Way in Chatham, call 508-945-0594 or email r5rw_mnwr@fws.gov