---
title: "How many steps up Cape Hatteras Lighthouse? 257"
description: "257 steps up Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina, United States. Open to climb. What that count reaches, the height climbed, and how it compares."
url: https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/cape-hatteras-lighthouse/
site: "At One Place"
---

# How many steps to the top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse?

**Steps to the top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: 257**

Reaching the gallery below the lantern room, at 63 m · open to climb

The tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, and one of the few whose spiral stair is regularly open to visitors during the season. In 1999 the entire 4,800-tonne structure was moved 870 m inland on rails to escape shoreline erosion, over 23 days, without dismantling the staircase. The 257 steps are equivalent to a twelve-storey building. Climbs are ticketed and timed because the stair is single-width.

## The numbers

- **Steps:** 257
- **Reaches:** the gallery below the lantern room, at 63 m
- **Public access:** Open to climb
- **Where:** North Carolina, United States
- **Height climbed:** 63 m — 207 ft
- **Average rise per step:** 245 mm

## What the climb is like

About 10 minutes up. Ticketed, seasonal, and closed in high wind; no handrail on the outer side.

> Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.

## How it compares

*Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.*

- York Minster central tower: 275 steps
- Batu Caves: 272 steps
- Saint Isaac's Cathedral colonnade: 262 steps
- Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: 257 steps
- Leaning Tower of Pisa: 251 steps
- Milan Cathedral rooftop: 251 steps
- Christ the Redeemer: 220 steps

*Cape Hatteras Lighthouse ranks 48 of 56 here by step count.*

| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| York Minster central tower | 275 | the top of the central tower, at 70 m | Open to climb |
| Batu Caves | 272 | the Temple Cave, in a limestone hill above Kuala Lumpur | Open to climb |
| Saint Isaac's Cathedral colonnade | 262 | the colonnade walkway around the dome, at 43 m | Open to climb |
| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse | 257 | the gallery below the lantern room, at 63 m | Open to climb |
| Leaning Tower of Pisa | 251 | the bell chamber at the top, at 56 m | Open to climb |
| Milan Cathedral rooftop | 251 | the roof terraces, at 70 m among the spires | Open to climb |
| Christ the Redeemer | 220 | the statue's viewing platform, from the upper station of the Corcovado railway | Open to climb |

## Common questions

### How many steps to the top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse?

257, reaching the gallery below the lantern room, at 63 m.

### Can the public climb Cape Hatteras Lighthouse?

Open to climb. About 10 minutes up. Ticketed, seasonal, and closed in high wind; no handrail on the outer side.

### How high is that climb?

63 m, about 207 ft, which averages 245 mm per step.

## Related pages

- [Towers](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/tower/)
- [How many steps up Eiffel Tower?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/eiffel-tower/)
- [How many steps up Empire State Building?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/empire-state-building/)
- [How many steps up Eiffel Tower (summit)?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/eiffel-tower-summit/)
- [How many steps up Burj Khalifa?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/burj-khalifa/)
- [How many steps up CN Tower?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/cn-tower/)
- [How many steps up Tokyo Tower?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/tokyo-tower/)
- [How many steps up Taipei 101?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/taipei-101/)
- [How many steps up One World Trade Center?](https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/one-world-trade-center/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)