"Today is the LAST day of 2026 that the park stays open until 8 pm." That was the notice the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park posted on September 30. The next line was the more useful one: "Lighthouse climbing hours remain 9-3, seven days a week."
At the north tip of Long Beach Island, fall has meant an earlier gate and a shorter Interpretive Center week, while the climb schedule stays the same. Starting in November, the Barnegat Inlet jetty fills with a different set of visitors.
The Hours That Changed
Two schedules have shortened so far: the gate and the Interpretive Center, which has moved from daily to weekends only. Starting October 1, the park closes at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. The lighthouse still runs the same 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. window it kept all summer, seven days a week. On weekdays, the park office stays open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
| Summer 2026 | Late October 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Park gate | Open until 8 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Lighthouse climbing | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily |
| Interpretive Center | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, starting May 16 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends through October |
| Lighthouse fee | $3 ages 12 and up, $1 ages 6 to 11, under 6 free, cash only | No fee posted outside Memorial Day to Labor Day |
| Entrance and parking | None | None |
The Friends group lists the $3 and $1 charges only for the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's park page shows no entrance fee at all.
There's one inconsistency to know about before you plan a weekday climb with guests. The hours box at the top of the state's page, updated October 6, 2026, says the lighthouse is open 9 to 3 daily. Further down, the description on that same page says daily climbs run Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Friends' fall notice supports the daily schedule. The surest answer on a given morning is still a call to the park at 609-494-2016, especially since the description adds that climbs are weather permitting.
The View Without the 217 Steps
Not everyone in a visiting group will want the climb, and the park has planned for that. According to NJDEP, four cameras at the top of the tower send live images to a display in the Interpretive Center. Visitors can see the view over Island Beach, Barnegat Bay and Long Beach Island without climbing the 217 steps. Those same four cameras also feed a YouTube live stream on NJDEP's channel, which works from anywhere, including after the Interpretive Center moves past its "weekends through October" schedule.
The light itself is mostly a local project. The Friends group, a nonprofit chartered in 2007, raised money for a Coast Guard-approved lens. Barnegat Lighthouse was relit on January 1, 2009, exactly 150 years after it first lit in 1859, and it is once again an official aid to navigation. NJDEP says the single beam is visible for up to 22 nautical miles. The original lens came out in 1927, when a lightship anchored offshore took over the job, and it is on display at the Barnegat Light Historical Society's Schoolhouse Museum.
Saturday, October 24, From the Beach to the Top
On Saturday, the town and the park share one fall day.
- Morning beach cleanup. The Barnegat Light Taxpayers' Association beach cleanup runs 9:30 a.m. to noon at the 29th Street beach entrance. The rain date is Sunday, October 25.
- Evening bonfire and storytelling. The Borough of Barnegat Light and Ocean County Parks are sponsoring a bonfire with storyteller Robin Moore at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, 208 Broadway.
- Night climb. The lighthouse opens after dark for a fall climb. The last climber goes in at 8:30 p.m., and the evening ends at 9.
The listings disagree on the start time. The Borough's calendar says 7 p.m. The Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse events page and the Harvey Cedars Taxpayers' Association listing both say 6:30 p.m. If you arrive at 6:30, you're covered either way. The Borough lists 609-494-9196 and 732-281-2750 for questions, and it asks attendees to bring their own chairs or blankets.
Robin Moore's official biography says he has been an author, storyteller and teacher of storytelling and writing since 1981. It credits him with more than 5,000 storytelling programs and more than a dozen children's books. The evening has a recent precedent. In 2025, The SandPaper listed several Friends-hosted night climbs, including an October 25 event with a campfire and a storyteller. The Harvey Cedars listing adds that all special events in the park are free.
What November Brings to the Jetty
Once the night climb is over, the park's main draw moves from the tower down to the water. NJDEP describes the 0.2-mile Maritime Forest Trail as one of the last pieces of maritime forest on Long Beach Island. It's a stand of black cherry, sassafras, eastern red cedar and American holly that serves as a resting and feeding area for migratory birds. New Jersey Audubon's Important Bird Areas site guide says this small woodlot supports songbirds during spring and fall migration, and that Barnegat Inlet matters most for wintering waterfowl and gulls.
The harlequin ducks are what people come out for. In a New Jersey 101.5 roundup of birding spots, New Jersey Audubon senior naturalist Scott Barnes described a flock of roughly three dozen harlequins at Barnegat Light. He said they're present from November through the winter and leave for their northward migration in the first week of April. The Audubon site guide lists other common winter residents of the inlet:
- Harlequin ducks and common eiders
- Red-breasted mergansers and long-tailed ducks
- Loons
- White-winged, black and surf scoters
- On the dunes during migration and winter, American pipits, horned larks and Lapland longspurs
A few park rules matter more in winter. Pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet, and they aren't allowed on the jetty walkway or the nature trail at all. Anyone planning a dog walk at the north end should take it somewhere else in the park. NJDEP says the park often sponsors winter waterfowl-viewing programs and that the Friends group hosts a winter lecture series on maritime and natural-history topics at the Interpretive Center. The Friends' events page tells visitors to follow the group's social accounts for fall announcements, and that's also the place to watch for lecture dates and any November climbing schedule.
The Rest of the North End Runs Later, Too
The town around the park keeps going after Labor Day as well. On the beach, the mid-October fishing report from Fisherman's Headquarters described striped bass action as spotty. It also noted a 52-inch bass caught the Saturday before the report, more bass reports coming in, and kingfish, tautog and bluefish in the surf. The same report said the mullet run looked to be winding down and that the LBI Surf Fishing Classic continues through the end of November. Fishing conditions change week to week, so check a current report before heading to the beach.
Two dates follow the night climb:
- Thursday, October 29. Trunk-or-Treat on West 10th Street, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, November 28. Viking Village's Art and Craft Show with a Santa visit. The dock tours at the commercial fishing port are finished for the year and return in summer 2027.
At Viking Village, Cassidy's retail fish market posts hours of Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., plus Sunday hours. No off-season closing date is listed, so it's worth checking before a trip to the docks.
Our agents have spent decades at the north end of the island, so we know the lighthouse, the jetty and the Viking Village docks well past summer. If you'd like to talk about owning a home near Old Barney, or simply what living near the inlet is like year-round, the team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Zack Shore, REALTORS® is happy to help from our Barnegat Light office. Find Your Dream Home.
