Pigeon Point Lighthouse Near Pescadero, Calif.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse 210 Pigeon Point Rd./Highway One Pescadero, CA 94060 Phone: 650-879-0633 for hostel reservations & info. parks.ca.gov

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is approx. 50 miles south of San Francisco on Highway 1, near the town of Pescadero. Guided tours are offered on Friday - Sunday beginning around 10 a.m. Rain cancels.

PIGEON POINT LIGHT

State: CALIFORNIA
Location: SOUTHERN APPROACH TO SAN FRANCISCO BAY
Nearest City: PESCADERO
County: SAN MATEO
U.S.C.G. District: 11
Year Station Established: 1871 Pigeon Point Light
Existing Historic Tower:

Year Light First Lit: 1872
Is the Light Operational? YES
Date Deactivated: N/A
Automated: 1974
Foundation Materials: STONE
Construction Materials: BRICK
Markings/Patterns: WHITE W/BLACK TRIM
Shape: CONICAL ATTACHED TO WORKROOM
Relationship to Other Structures: ATTACHED
Tower Height: 115
Original Optic: FIRST ORDER, FRESNEL
Year Original Lens Installed: 1872
Present Optic: DCB-24 OFF BALCONY RAIL
Year Present Lens Installed: 1972
Height of Focal Plane: 148
Fresnel Lens Disposition: ORIGINAL FIRST ORDER LENS IN LANTERN BUT INACTIVE
Has tower been moved? NO

Previous Tower(s): N/A

Modern Tower? NO

Existing Sound Signal Building? YES

Year Constructed: 1908
Construction Materials: WOOD FRAME
Architectural Style:
Fog Signal Type: STEAM WHISTLE/ORIG. SIREN (1871)

Existing Keepers Quarters? YES

Year Constructed: 1960
Number of Stories: 1
Architectural Style: BUNGALOW
Construction Materials: WOOD

Other Structures: 3 OTHER KEEPERS DWELLINGS, CISTERN, OIL HOUSE, 2 GARAGES, STORAGE BUILDING, CARPENTER SHOP (1872)

Current Use: ACTIVE AID TO NAVIGATION / STATE HISTORIC PARK / YOUTH HOSTEL

Owner/Manager: CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF PARKS & RECREATION

Open to the Public? YES (Go to Lighthouses to Visit for access information)

National Register Status: LISTED; Reference #77000337
Name of Listing: PIGEON POINT LIGHTHOUSE
On State List/Inventory? YES; Year Listed: 1980

HABS/HAER Documentation? YES, CA-1997-A

Miscellaneous:
TOWER UNDER RESTORATION 1992-1993; ORIGINAL FIRST ORDER LENS IS LIT EACH YEAR ON NOVEMBER 15; TRANSFERRED TO THE CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN 2005 UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE NATIONAL HISTORIC LIGHTHOUSE PRESERVATION ACT.


Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of more than 35 light stations in California. It is open year round for viewing the grounds, though the lighthouse itself may be closed for repair. Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park includes the lighthouse, youth hostel and lands surrounding the lighthouse on Highway 1.

Also located approximately 25 Miles north of Santa Cruz and 22 miles south of Half Moon Bay, there's a pullout area with a beach and lighthouse view at Ano Nuevos State Reserve. The 115 foot tall Pigeon Point Lighthouse stood as an active aid to navigation for over 127 years till GPS satellites replaced lightstations and lighthouses as navigation tools. The lighthouse's five-wick lard oil lamp, and first-order Fresnel lens, comprised of 1,008 prisms, was first lit at sunset, November 15, 1872.

First-Order Fresnel lens and 115 foot Tower The Fresnel lens, manufactured by the French firm, Henry-Lepaute, had been in service at the second Cape Hatteras Light Station, North Carolina in 1863. Sometime after this date, the lens was shipped to California for use at Pigeon Point. The lens stands 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 8,000 pounds. It sits in a lantern room that had been constructed at the Lighthouse Service's general depot in New York before being shipped around the Horn. The 115 foot, unreinforced tower was built from approximately 500,000 locally produced bricks. Access to the lens is gained by climbing the 136-step, iron spiral stairway and platforms fabricated by Nuttings & Son, San Francisco. Although the original Fresnel lens is no longer in use, the lighthouse is still an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation using a 24 inch Aero Beacon.

The Pigeon Point Light Station was owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and leased to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which administered interpretive activities. In 2005, the Pigeon Point Light Station was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to California State Parks. Established over 135 years ago, the historic light station is 115 feet tall, one of the tallest on the Pacific Coast. California State Parks, in partnership with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a leading private, public benefit land trust, made an application to acquire the lighthouse in 2002. In March 2004, the National Park Service selected California State Parks to own and manage the lighthouse and supervise its restoration efforts.

For more than 100 years, this light station and others kept the rocky shores of California safe for mariners. The State of California preserved the legacy of this historic and picturesque landmark under the National Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. This Act recommended the transfer of historic lighthouses (at no cost) to federal, state or local government agencies, or nonprofit organizations. The law directs the Secretary of the Interior to work with the U.S. Coast Guard, the General Services Administration and the National Park Service to choose the best stewards for long-term preservation.

With 47 State Historic Parks, California State Parks System viewed Pigeon Point Lighthouse as the focal point of a vast network of protected lands. After raising the funds to purchase the land surrounding the lighthouse, deconstructing a motel planned for the property, and transferring it to the state, the lighthouse and the surrounding lands can be viewed from the sea as they were 100 years ago.

Pigeon Point Light Station was closed to the public in December 2001 after two, large pieces of brick and metal fell from the 115-foot tower. Inspections have shown that after many years without upkeep, the structure has deteriorated and extensive repairs are needed. However, through a public/private partnership with California State Parks, the California State Parks Foundation is spearheading a $5 million fundraising campaign to return the structure to a condition that is safe for public use. State Parks has operated the Pigeon Point Light Station for the past twenty years under a lease from the U.S. Coast Guard and intends to continue that operation within existing resources. For the restoration effort, the funding will come from private donations.

What is there to see on a visit?

Over one million birds pass by Pigeon Point annually. American Black Oystercatcher, Wandering Tattlers (August-May), Surfbirds (September-April) and Black Turnstones (year-around), plus, maybe some pigeons and some Marbled Murrelets. Ancient Murrelets are spotted off shore Nov- Feb. During summer months feeding masses of Sooty Shearwaters are seen from here and may number in the tens of thousands.

The only mainland breeding colony of Northern Elephant Seals (4,000 pound marine mammals) can be seen at Aņo Nuevo State Reserve, 7 miles south of Pigeon Point on Highway One.

Redwood Forests - Hike through majestic redwoods at Butano State Park, 6 miles east, and other nearby parks. Explore tide pools and windswept beaches, watch for migrating whales (Dec.- May), or visit nearby Pescadero Marsh.