Cape May is the other obvious major climb on the route. The 1859 tower stands at the meeting place of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay and remains an active aid to navigation. Cape May MAC manages the historic site and reports more than 2.5 million climbs since opening it to the public in 1988.
The climb is 199 steps on the original cast-iron spiral stairway inside the tower. The full structure is more than 157 feet tall. Interpretive panels on the landings connect the mechanical lighthouse story to the keepers and the surrounding landscape.
Cape May Point State Park adds another layer. The lighthouse sits in one of New Jersey's most important bird-migration landscapes, with trails, wetlands and the remains of coastal-defense infrastructure nearby.
Project-management note
Give Cape May real time, then leave on time. The next move north along the Delaware Bay is nearly an hour. This is not the place to add Washington Street Mall, a sit-down lunch and Sunset Beach to a completion schedule.
Worth noticing nearby
Cape May Point State Park is already the attraction. If the Challenge becomes a future slow trip, add Sunset Beach, the WWII Lookout Tower and Cape May's historic district as separate stops rather than trying to attach them to this clock.
Stop facts
| Stop | 12 |
|---|---|
| Type | Lighthouse site |
| Address | 215 Lighthouse Avenue, Cape May Point |
| Town | Cape May Point |
| First lit / built | 1859 |
| Climb | 199 spiral-stair steps; more than 157 feet tall |
| 2026 night climb | No |
| Default dwell | 45 min |
SOURCE NOTES
Site history drawn from federal, state and nonprofit sources cited in the field notes. Challenge hours, stamps and night climbs follow the organizer's 2026 pages; verify live addresses during event week.