February Sunset and Full Moon Climb at Cape St. George Lighthouse

The February Sunset and Full Moon Climb at the Cape St. George Lighthouse on St. George Island will be held on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Visitors can enjoy this opportunity to view St. George Island, the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola Bay under the evening sky.

The Sunset and Full Moon Climb will begin at 6:00 p.m. and run until 8:00 p.m. Fifteen-minute time slots will be allotted for each group on a first come, first served basis. No advanced reservations will be taken. You will purchase your tickets in the gift shop and then sign up for your 15-minute time slot with the lighthouse keeper. Up to 12 persons allowed in each 15-minute time slot. The gift shop will open at 5:30pm to begin selling tickets.

Cost is $10.00 per climber for the general public and $7.00 for members of the St. George Lighthouse Association. Cash or credit card payments accepted. All climbers must be at least 40 inches tall to climb the tower and children must be age 13 and over to access the outside catwalk. For more information, please contact the Lighthouse Gift Shop at 850-927-7745.

The sun will set at 6:20 p.m. and the “Snow” or “Trapper’s” moon will rise at 6:37 p.m. on February 5th. The February full moon is called the Snow moon because while January is traditionally the coldest month of the year in the northern hemisphere, the heaviest snow usually falls a month later, in February. It’s only natural then that the name for February’s full moon among Native American tribes of the north and east was the Full Snow Moon. To the early American colonists, the optimal time for trapping beaver, fox and mink was the dead of winter when these animals’ coats were at their fullest. So to them, February’s moon was known as the Trapper’s Moon.

The Cape St. George Light is located in St. George Lighthouse Park at the center of St. George Island, where Island Drive (the road off the bridge) ends at Gulf Beach Drive. Parking is available in lots at either side of the park.