Explore & Community
PEI Lighthouses You Can Actually Climb or Visit
Of PEI's roughly 61 lighthouses, only a handful are open to the public or climbable. Hours, fees, and what each one actually offers.
1. Highest Concentration in North America, Almost All Closed
PEI has around 61 lighthouses and range lights, believed to be the highest concentration in North America relative to coastline length. Most are decommissioned, unstaffed, and not open to the public. Tourism PEI lists eight that operate as community museums with public access and climbable towers.
2. The Lighthouses Worth Building a Stop Around
| Lighthouse | Built | Height | Notable feature | Typical season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Point | 1875 | 20.6 m, 72 stairs | Tallest on the Island; also operates as an inn | Summer months |
| Panmure Island | 1853 | Octagonal wooden tower | Second lighthouse built on PEI, oldest wooden one | Summer months |
| Cape Bear | 1881 | 12.2 m | Marconi station that received the Titanic's first distress signal in Canada | Mid-June to mid-Sept, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily |
| Point Prim | 1845 | 60 feet | PEI's oldest lighthouse | Summer months |
All four charge a modest admission fee, include a small museum or gift shop, and are only open seasonally, typically June through September.
3. Worth a Photo Stop, Not Necessarily a Climb
Beyond the four above, East Point Lighthouse (the Island's easternmost tip), Wood Islands Lighthouse (beside the Nova Scotia ferry terminal), and New London Lighthouse are well known and easy to reach, even where public access to the tower itself is limited.
4. Planning Around Them
- Check operating dates before driving out; nearly all lighthouse museums close completely outside summer.
- West Point and Panmure Island both sit along the North Cape and Points East coastal drives respectively, so build the stop into a driving day rather than a special trip.
- Cape Bear's Marconi Museum is a genuinely distinct historical stop, not just a lighthouse climb, and pairs well with a Points East itinerary.