Bodie Island Lighthouse - North Carolina

8210 Bodie Island Lighthouse Rd, Nags Head, NC 27959

The Bodie Island Lighthouse and its Double Keepers’ Quarters are situated midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound within the protection of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It was completed by the U.S. Light-House Board (aka U.S. Lighthouse Service) in 1872 during the Golden Era of American lighthouse building. Its name originally was spelled “Body’s” on U.S. Lighthouse Service documents. It is alternately suggested that the land was bought from a family with the surname Body or was named for the “body of land” that surrounds it.​

Prints & Downloads

Lighthouse Prints

Videos to download

Map

Location

From NC 158 in Nags Head, travel south on NC 12 into the Cape Hatteras National Seashore for approximately six miles until you see the Bodie Island Lighthouse signs. Turn right into the entrance to the light station on a two-lane asphalt road and go approximately one and one-half miles which into the lighthouse parking lot. The tower is open seasonally for climbing but the light station grounds remain open year-round. 

​​Google Maps HERE

History

This lighthouse had two predecessors. The first was built in 1847 about 1.5 miles south of Oregon Inlet. Due to lack of foresight or in the name of economy, the first tower had no foundation. When the 54-foot tall white brick tower began to lean, its lighting mechanism was damaged. In 1854, the Light-House Board made some repairs including the installation of a fourth-order Fresnel lens, but the failing tower was eventually abandoned. 

​After the first tower went dark, the 120 miles between Cape Henry and Cape Hatteras were unmarked for mariners again. There remained a great need for a lighthouse at Bodie 
Island to warn mariners to begin a swing away from shore and out to sea to avoid wrecking on Diamond Shoals forty miles south off of Cape Hatteras.

Photography

EASY Access - Drive to the parking lot and walk across an open grassy field. 

Time of day - This location is good for anytime of the day, however, planning for sunset and sunrise at this location would be ideal.
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LENS - 35mm to 100mm is ideal for the lighthouse, however, you may wish to spend more time on the island doing bird photography.