Barnegat Lighthouse
A red-and-white lighthouse overlooks shifting inlet water, bay, jetty, and a remnant maritime forest.
Artwork inspired by Winslow Homer
Barnegat Lighthouse was built to warn ships from a difficult stretch of coast. From the tower, Long Beach Island, Barnegat Bay, Island Beach, and the inlet form a compact lesson in currents, sand, and navigation. The park around it matters too: a short maritime-forest trail and jetty let visitors see the coastal setting at ground level.
Do not treat a lighthouse visit as just a climb. Walk toward the inlet and watch how boats use the passage, then look back at the tower’s unmistakable painted bands. Summer carries a small tower fee; the state park itself is free. Its gate is open longer than the lighthouse, a distinction that makes a sunset grounds visit possible without promising tower access.
- Nickname
- Old Barney
- Setting
- Barnegat Inlet
- Grounds
- Free
Quick guide
- Climb first
- Tower access ends earlier than park access.
- Walk the inlet
- Look back at the beacon from the jetty side.
Know before you go
- Read the channel
- Watch boat routes through the inlet.
- Look across
- Locate Island Beach and the bay.
- Try the forest
- A short remnant woodland walk changes the scene.
- Separate hours
- Gate and tower follow different clocks.
Good to know
Lighthouse and state-park listings may share a map place. This address is the reviewed visitor arrival point; tower hours are shorter than gate hours.
Notice these
- Red-and-white tower
- Inlet panorama
- Maritime forest