Barnegat Lighthouse

It’s fine. It’s not worthy of a special trip or visit — not unless you have a particular affection for lighthouses. The climb up is reasonable (217 steps), but the view is impaired by the safety bars. Thus, the view is less than spectacular. I stuck my phone through the bars to catch the picture I’ve added.

We took a break from the beach to visit the Barnegat Lighthouse, and we’re glad we did! We enjoyed walking up to the top of the lighthouse and the amazing view it provided. Afterwards, we took our sandwiches to one of the plentiful picnic tables and enjoyed lunch before heading out to the pier. We walked along the pier and the rock jetty, all the way to the beach at the far end. It was a hot day, so I’d advise bringing some water along the trek! We ran out and it wasn’t pretty with whiny children. Lol.
This was a nice little side trip and we enjoyed the visitor’s center as well, reading about the history of «Old Barney» and cooling off with their $ 1 waters!

Great view of LBI! Takes a while to get up.

First visit to LBI — HAD to make sure to climb this light! Very nice grounds & visitor center. Great views from the top! There are also a few restaurants, shops within walking distance of the park entrance.
If you like lighthouses & state parks — this is a must!

I love this place. Beautiful and serene. And let’s be honest, it won’t kill ya to learn some history of the island that you venture to year after year. The view from the top is like no other. Stunningly beautiful sights of all angles of the island. You can also venture around the bottom; explore, fish… whatever your heart desires. Definitely put this on your must see list.

For the past 17 years I’ve made the journey to this location at least once yearly. I can tell you in that in the nearly two decade time span that not much has changed here, which is a good thing.
When the lighthouse is open you should definitely take a walk to the top. While a tall building, it isn’t a huge building, so it won’t make your horrendously tired and worn out to do it. The top awards you a nice view of the surrounding area, and also if you’re lucky a cool breeze for your aerobic efforts.
You’ll see some nice views if you choose to walk down the beach on this strip of land. Small pools of water begin to build on the beach during high tide, being a great place to let smaller children play. Because of the location of this strip of land, you can see a lot of interesting marine animals. I’ve seen starfish, a multitude of crabs including horseshoe crabs, and varying species of seagulls and fish. There is a lot of land here roped off for the endangered turns and piping plovers, but be aware that those birds are bold and will come close to humans anyway.
My only gripe is that there is no life guard on the beach, so forget any real swimming here. However the beauty and historical significance of this area is still worth the trip. A beautiful place, my hope is that it will remain unchanged for many years to come.

Not overly exciting for adults but maybe a good family activity with little ones. Many people will fish off the jetty there with varying results. It’s another lighthouse in my opinion. If you’ve seen it once you’ve seen it enough. If you do happen to go there, Mustache Bill’s diner is a good breakfast option and I know there a few other casual places for food and ice cream etc.

I’m with Bob M, minus the history lesson. It’s a lighthouse.
[does the two fingers pointy eye thing]
Bottom line: If you’re on LBI, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t come here.
Been here several times and enjoy walking around the park. It’s a great deal of fun wandering out on the jettys with the kids and looking for crabs that are always scurrying around under rocks when you walk by. Plenty to find usually though in the summer.
Quick walk up 217 steps gives you some well deserved (and by that point needed) breezes and an outstanding view, weather permitting. Your four year old can probably make it up by himself/​herself (my nephew did), though down might be another story. My 9 & 10 year olds had no trouble either way.
Great reads inside the lighthouse and in the surrounding area about the Old Barney’s history.

This was nice to see. I wouldn’t mind going back again.

The lighthouse is a special place for me. It’s a great place for a walk on the jette, a museum visit, or a climb to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the view. Soft serve at Kelly’s rounds out the expirence. I’m always glad to be there.

Barnegat Lighthouse is worth visiting. In addition to climbing to the top of the lighthouse, one can go on a nature trail, walk along the water, or throw in a line for some fishing. It is a nice way to spend a few hours.

Barnegat Light is one of the better gems on the more than 100 miles of the fantastic Jersey Shore. It stands above the Barnegat Inlet, one of the strongest on the coast going from Barnegat Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.
Barnegat Light is one of the most beautiful lighthouses still standing with its red and white exterior. Visitors are encouraged to walk up the winding stairs to the top for magnificent views of Long Beach Island to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the bay and mainland to the west and Island Beach State Park to the north.
Barnegat Light Park has plenty of room for inlet fishermen, a promenade with benches all along the inlet, tables and benches for picnicking, a trail tour of what the site looked like before it was developed with all natural floral and fauna, a visitors area with a history of the lighthouse and its surroundings over the years, several stopping points all along the walks with descriptions of the island’s birds, native fishes, natural trees, bushes and shrubs, and results of the weather conditions.
You can also get an «I Climbed Barney» certificate for $ 1 in the welcome center.
Speaking of climbing, this one clocks in at 217 steps and 172 feet so make sure you bring the oxygen tank along with the defibrillator paddles because this one is a hell of a hike to the top.
There are also special events during the year including multiple full moon night climbs and participation in the NJ Lighthouse Challenge.
If you go, the park itself is open daily from 8am-​6pm while the Lighthouse itself is open daily from 10am-4:30pm. The Barnegat Lighthouse Interpretive Center is open daily between Memorial Day and Labor daily with weekend only hours extending into October.
There is a $ 3 fee per person to enter the lighthouse from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Children ages 6 to 11 are $ 1 and children ages 5 and under are free but between Labor Day and Memorial Day the price is very reasonable at free.
Also worth noting is the Barnegat Lighthouse Museum is only a few blocks away from ‘Ol Barney and it houses the original first order 1000-​plate lens along with the beautiful Edith Duff Gwinn Garden.

217 steps to the top. Complete. Nice view. Great history. Not pretty, but it’s a lighthouse, not a museum.

One of the greatest places to go in N.J. Great history, amazing views from the top, great fishing around the light house and the Barnegat inlet. Its beautiful any time of year. Always good for the soul.
Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.

It’s a lighthouse. A working navigational aid to boaters. It’s been there in the same spot since 1859, right before the Civil War. It was built by (future General) George G. Meade (of Gettysburg fame). 217 steps, or so they say, certainly feels like more than that. It gets narrow at the top. Meeting people (passing in the other direction) at other than the window perches is a bit dicey, especially if you aren’t a fan of heights. The view from the top — amazing.
You can see on a clear day, clear down to Ship Bottom (and maybe farther with binoculars). It’s very windy up there. You can see all the boats coming in & going out of Barnegat Inlet, historically a very treacherous waterway with many shoals to beach unsuspecting boats.
There is also the jetty closeby, rebuilt over several years in the 1990’s, you can go on, at least partway, and try to catch some fish, or just boat-​watch. There is also a (short) ‘nature walk’ through a wood so you can see what kind of plants live in & are native to barrier islands. Good way to spend at least an hour or two if you have older kids.

Nostalgic more than anything else, but I do love the red on white of the big tower. The surrounding park is beautiful and larger than you might think. The small fee to get up to the top is worth it for the views – and be ready for a workout! Although the lighthouse itself it’s handicap accessible, the rest of the park is. Enjoy, and do visit the surrounding businesses to help out after Sandy!

MY THIGHS ARE BURNING
Loved the Barnegat lighthouse. Not only do you get beautiful sweeping view of LBI, you also get a great workout climbing those 217 steps. It would also be a great place to have a picnic by the water.

Barnegat Lighthouse is a nice little attraction to spend some time, take some pictures, and save some bucks. You can climb the lighthouse for 3 bucks, or you could not spend the money and have 3 bucks.
There’s a historical plaque which tells of how an American militia man murdered some limey sea captain on the shores of LBI. Boo-​yah, Taxation without representation!

The Barnegat Lighthouse is incredibly impressive, no doubt about it. It is located on the North end of LBI. When you get to the Lighthouse area, there are a couple of restaurants and a big parking lot to park in. You then walk down a little path to the Lighthouse — there are even bathrooms to use. The Lighthouse is huge, but you don’t get a great sense of how big it is until you actually climb it. For $ 3, you get to climb 217 stairs up to the top. When you get up there, you’re high up. Kind of crazy — I’m not a huge fan of heights.
It’s definitely a really cool place to go and spend some time at. There are usually a lot of people in the area fishing and just enjoying some of the sights. If you’re in LBI, definitely take a ride up to the Lighthouse.

Open from 10:30 to 4:30 daily, $ 3 adults, $ 1 ages 6 – 11.
The 217 steps get you 172 feet above sea level with an awesome view. Even with a lot of families, the wait was maybe 15 minutes to get in.
Superb views from the top with quite a breeze!
Make sure you are in shape to climb the narrow winding steps. People going up and down at the same time can be squishy.
Nice that there are picnic benches and table around, and you can watch people fishing.