How high is that climb?

386 m, about 1,266 ft, which averages 173 mm per step.

How many steps to the top of One World Trade Center?

Steps to the top of One World Trade Center

2,226

Reaching the 102nd floor · restricted — events or permit only

The stairwell opens once a year for the Tunnel to Towers tower climb, which honours the firefighters who climbed the original towers in 2001 and is limited to a few thousand participants. Ordinary visitors take a lift that reaches the observatory in under a minute. The building's stairwells are wider than code required and include a dedicated firefighter stair, a direct design response to 2001. The 2,226 figure is the count used by the annual climb.

The numbers

Steps: 2,226
Reaches: the 102nd floor
Public access: Restricted — events or permit only
Where: New York, United States
Height climbed: 386 m — 1,266 ft
Average rise per step: 173 mm

What the climb is like

Annual charity climb only. Most finishers take 30-60 minutes; many climb in firefighting gear.

These steps are not open on an ordinary visit. Access is limited to organised events, races or permit holders.

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.

Burj Khalifa 2,909 steps

Tokyo Skytree 2,523 steps

Mount Haguro stone stairway 2,446 steps

One World Trade Center 2,226 steps

Willis Tower 2,109 steps

Taipei 101 2,046 steps

CN Tower 1,776 steps

One World Trade Center ranks 4 of 56 here by step count.
Structure	Steps	Reaches	Access
Burj Khalifa	2,909	the 160th floor, via the emergency stairwell — no public access	Not climbable by the public
Tokyo Skytree	2,523	the upper observation deck at 450 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access	Not climbable by the public
Mount Haguro stone stairway	2,446	the Sanjin Gosaiden shrine at the summit, through cedar forest	Open to climb
One World Trade Center	2,226	the 102nd floor	Restricted — events or permit only
Willis Tower	2,109	the 103rd floor Skydeck	Restricted — events or permit only
Taipei 101	2,046	the 91st-floor outdoor observatory	Restricted — events or permit only
CN Tower	1,776	the main observation level at 342 m; 2,579 steps reach the SkyPod at 447 m	Restricted — events or permit only

Common questions

How many steps to the top of One World Trade Center?: 2,226, reaching the 102nd floor.
Can the public climb One World Trade Center?: Restricted — events or permit only. Annual charity climb only. Most finishers take 30-60 minutes; many climb in firefighting gear.
How high is that climb?: 386 m, about 1,266 ft, which averages 173 mm per step.

Towers All 17 here
How many steps up Eiffel Tower? 674 steps · open to climb
How many steps up Empire State Building? 1,576 steps · restricted — events or permit only
How many steps up Eiffel Tower (summit)? 1,665 steps · not climbable by the public
How many steps up Burj Khalifa? 2,909 steps · not climbable by the public
How many steps up CN Tower? 1,776 steps · restricted — events or permit only
How many steps up Tokyo Tower? 600 steps · open to climb
How many steps up Taipei 101? 2,046 steps · restricted — events or permit only
How many steps up Tokyo Skytree? 2,523 steps · not climbable by the public

Sources

Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked