Pigeon Point Lighthouse

• Hours: Guided history walks a few days a week. Check the schedule
• Location: CA Hwy 1, half way between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, directions below
• How Long: Allow an hour if you take a guided tour, less if you go on your own
• Best Time to Visit: Any time, but tours may be canceled when it's raining

Fifty miles south of San Francisco on the Pacific coast, 115-foot-tall Pigeon Point Lighthouse has been a beacon for those on the sea since 1872. Resembling the twin Outer Banks of North Carolina lighthouses Bodie and Currituck, Pigeon Point is California's most-photographed lighthouse and the tallest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast.

Pigeon Point's first-order Fresnel lens is still in place, but is lighted only occasionally to commemorate the anniversary of its first light which occurred at sunset, November 15, 1872. The tower is still an active U.S. Coast Guard navigation aid but now uses an automated, 24-inch Aero Beacon.

The Pigeon Point light was named for the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon, which sank off the point in 1853. The lantern room was built at the Lighthouse Service's New York depot and shipped around Cape Horn to California.

Visiting Point Point Lighthouse

Because of structural instability, the inside of Pigeon Point Lighthouse is not open to the public, but you can take a virtual tour courtesy of California State Parks.

The grounds are open and you can see it from the outside during daylight hours. Docents lead history walks around the grounds a few days a week. Check the schedule.

The Pigeon Point keepers' housing is now a hostel run by Hostelling International.

Where is Pigeon Point Lighthouse Located?

Point Point Lighthouse
210 Pigeon Point Road, Highway 1
Pescadero, CA
650-879-0633 (State Park), 650-879-0633 (hostel)
Pigeon Point Lighthouse Website
Pigeon Point Hostel Website

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is located on CA Hwy 1, 50 miles south of San Francisco, between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay.