Starting Friday, Oct. 23, the south end's two lighthouses split the weekend between them. BIPS says the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse will offer climbs every Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Gasparilla Island Lighthouse, the Range Light on Gulf Boulevard, has climbs listed the next day, every Saturday from Oct. 24 through Nov. 21. Both sites are run with the Barrier Island Parks Society, and this fall its schedule treats them as one calendar split between two addresses. The Range Light hosts the hands-on programs, and the Port lighthouse hosts the porch talks and the Friday history climbs.
For anyone living in Golden Beach, the weekend pairing matters more than any single event. Starting in late October, you can climb both towers in a single weekend almost every week.
Two climbs, two sets of rules
BIPS prices, schedules and regulates the two climbs differently, so check the details before you show up with guests.
| Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum | Gasparilla Island Lighthouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 880 Belcher Road, inside Gasparilla Island State Park | 220 Gulf Blvd |
| Fall climb days | Every Friday beginning Oct. 23 | Saturdays from Oct. 24, plus some Wednesdays |
| Climb hours | First climb 11 a.m., last at 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays |
| Adult admission | $10 | $15 |
| Children under 12 | $5 | $5, at least 48 inches tall |
| Posted rules | None listed on the event page | 134 steps, sensible shoes, no babies inside |
The Range Light has more rules. The BIPS event page for the Oct. 24 climb lists 134 steps to the lantern room and a 48-inch minimum height. It also bars heels, flip-flops, large backpacks and purses, wet clothing, commercial photography and drones, and swimwear has to be covered. The page also advises checking in early on climb day because "climbs can sell out quickly." That suggests a morning start on Saturdays.
The Range Light ticket covers more than the tower. BIPS points climbers to its 7.4 acres of nature trails and a pop-up shop on the grounds, and says all climb fees and merchandise sales go directly to the two historic lighthouses.
The Port climb costs less at the door, but getting there adds a step. The lighthouse sits inside Gasparilla Island State Park, where the vehicle fee is $3. One adult who drives in pays $13 for the Port climb and parking, compared with $15 for a Range Light climb.
How you pay to enter the park just changed
The Port climb is the half of the pair that depends on the park, and the park changed its payment system this month. Since Oct. 5, 2026, entrance fees at the Dunes parking lot are paid at a Remote Off Grid Kiosk. It takes credit or debit cards on a touchscreen and prints a receipt to leave on your dashboard. The park's other lots still take payment by QR code or the website.
The park has five parking lots, and two have picnic pavilions, one at the Sandspur lot and one at the Boca Grande Lighthouse lot. The lighthouse lot is the obvious choice on a climb Friday, and its pavilion makes an easy lunch stop between the 11 a.m. first climb and the 3 p.m. last one. Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset, every day of the year.
The Range Light's other October dates
Before the Friday and Saturday pattern begins, the Range Light grounds at 220 Gulf Blvd host two programs that have nothing to do with climbing.
- National Fossil Day, Thursday, Oct. 15, 1 to 3 p.m. BIPS is celebrating with the Gulf Coast Mineral, Fossil & Gem Club and honoring "Fossil" Frank Koffend. The event page links to an RSVP but lists no price and doesn't say whether the RSVP is required.
- Screech Owl Nesting Box Program, Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Participants learn about Eastern Screech Owl habitat and build a wooden nesting box to take home. BIPS requires an advance RSVP and a $15 materials fee, and children 14 and under need to come with an adult.
Both events are small and hands-on, with a fixed start time. They differ from the climbs, which run all day for drop-in visitors. The owl-box program also sends something home with you. A nesting box built on a Saturday morning on Gulf Boulevard can end up in a yard a few blocks away.
The porch talk at the other end
The Port lighthouse's counterpart to those programs is quieter. "A Brew With A View" is a monthly coffee-and-speaker gathering on the lighthouse's front porch. The Nov. 4 session runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on a Wednesday. Ashey Cook of the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center will speak on Vertical Oyster Gardens. The event page lists no price or RSVP requirement.
BIPS also lists a Range Light climb that same Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. That means a single morning can cover the porch talk at one lighthouse and a climb at the other. The Port climb follows on Friday, Nov. 6, and the Range Light climb on Saturday, Nov. 7, so the first week of November has more lighthouse events than any other week on the fall calendar.
November changes the hours at the museum
The weekly pairing starts just as museum hours change. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum keeps its summer schedule from June through October: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sundays and Mondays. From November through May, it opens every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exceptions are major holidays and New Year's Day, when it's closed, and New Year's Eve, when it closes at 2 p.m.
The Friday climbs on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 fall under the five-day schedule. By the Nov. 6 climb, the museum is open daily. In the weeks between, a Sunday or Monday visit stops being a missed trip and becomes a normal one.
The repairs that are still finishing
The Port lighthouse has only been open again for a year and a half. The Boca Beacon reported that BIPS reopened the museum on May 5, 2025, after nearly eight months closed for hurricane damage, restoration and safety work.
This past spring, the last of the repairs began. On May 14, 2026, the Boca Beacon reported that final hurricane-related fixes at the park's south end had started that week. It quoted Sharon McKenzie, executive director of Barrier Island Parks Society:
"Right now they are sanding and repainting the pilings that hold up the lighthouse."
The same Boca Beacon report listed the lighthouse ADA lift and the park's boardwalk as remaining tasks. BIPS's hours page still says the elevator lift was damaged in Hurricane Milton and is out of service. No published update since May confirms whether the lift is working again. Anyone bringing a guest who can't manage stairs should call ahead before planning a museum visit around the lift.
The turtles leave as the climbers arrive
The climb calendar also lines up with the end of sea turtle nesting season. The Boca Beacon's weekly count dated Oct. 7 listed 32 loggerhead nests and 489 hatchlings on Gasparilla. On Oct. 8, a separate Boca Beacon turtle report by Arlene Hall of the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association said the season was winding down. It ran a photo of four green turtle hatchlings rescued from a pool skimmer. Those reports are the latest available, not a final count for the season.
As nesting slows, shelling season begins. Florida State Parks says shelling is particularly good along the Gulf in the winter months.
The fall calendar at a glance
- Thursday, Oct. 15: National Fossil Day at the Range Light, 1 to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Screech Owl nesting box workshop at the Range Light, 10 to 11:30 a.m., $15, RSVP required.
- Fridays, beginning Oct. 23: Port Boca Grande Lighthouse climbs, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $10 adults.
- Saturdays, Oct. 24 through Nov. 21: Range Light climbs, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., $15 adults.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: Range Light climb, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: The Port museum starts its daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule.
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: A Brew With A View on the Port lighthouse porch, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., plus a Range Light climb, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Wednesdays, Nov. 11 and Nov. 25: Range Light climbs, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The full list, including anything added later, is on the BIPS events page. Check it the week of any climb.
If you live between these two lighthouses and want to talk about the south end, from Gulf Boulevard to the park, Jamie Curry is happy to compare notes, whether you're climbing both towers this fall or thinking about your place on this stretch of the island. Let's Connect.
