Some people come to the central California coast for the magnificent beaches, wildlife and sunsets, and some come to see the historic lighthouses! With multiple lightstations offering docent led tours, unique museums and exceptional light efficiency, planning a trip just to visit these sites would not be a bad idea! Here is a list of the most intriguing lighthouses to visit from Santa Cruz to Avila Beach:
Port San Luis Lighthouse, Avila Beach: Ride the Point San Luis Lighthouse Trolley into Avila Beach for docent led interpretive tours to experience a rich history of the beautifully restored Lighthouse, the Hornhouse, and other historic structures on this exceptional tour in San Luis Obispo County. Their unique tours will give you a glimpse into the lives of lighthouse keepers and their families, while maintaining this jewel of the Central Coast and keeping it preserved and protected for years to come. Tours happen every Wednesday at 12pm and 1pm, and Saturdays at 11am and 12pm and parking is available at Wild Cherry Canyon. Enjoy a scenic ride up the Lighthouse Road in a van to the Point San Luis Lighthouse where you will be met by a docent and led on a personalized tour of the buildings and grounds of this historic site established in 1890. They also feature “Live at the Lighthouse Concert Series” with popular local bands and artists playing in the Summer and Fall for only eight special dates, with an intimate crowd.
Piedras Blancas Light Station, Cambria: Piedras Blancas Light Station provides a glimpse into our nation's past when lighthouses served a vital role in maritime navigation. Today it is managed as a historic park and wildlife sanctuary. The light station is part of the federally designated Piedras Blancas Light Station Outstanding Natural Area and the California Coastal National Monument. The tower and some support buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located on a rugged, windswept point of land six miles north of Hearst Castle along California's scenic Highway 1, the Lighthouse was first illuminated in 1875 and today beckons the visitor for respite from the modern world. The Piedras Blancas Light Station is named for the distinctive white rocks that loom just offshore. These rocks and the rugged shoreline are home to seabirds, sea lions, and elephant seals. Over 70 native plant species can be found on the 19 acres surrounding the Light Station. Over the years, earthquakes have caused damage to the lighthouse. An earthquake on the last day of 1948 resulted in the upper part of the lighthouse being declared structurally unsound. In 1949, the upper three levels (fourth landing, watch room, and lantern) were removed. Access to Piedras Blancas by guided tours only. Tours are offered year round and feature cultural and natural history, as well as spectacular scenery. Tours available at 9:45am and are approximately two hours long.
Point Sur Light Station, Big Sur: The Point Sur Lightstation sits 361 feet above the Pacific Ocean on a large volcanic rock which juts into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Point Sur is the only complete, turn-of-the century Lightstation open to the public in California, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. First lit on August 1, 1889, the lighthouse has remained in continuous operation since then. Lighthouse keepers and their families lived at the site from 1889 to 1974, at which time the lighthouse was automated. Today the Lightstation buildings are being restored through the efforts of State Parks staff and volunteers and are supported by the non-profit Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers. Opened in 1958, the former Point Sur Naval Facility (NAVFAC) was once part of a worldwide network of defensive listening stations that tracked the movement of Soviet submarines. The Point Sur NAVFAC is one of only a handful of remaining Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) facilities and is the only one on the West Coast open to public interpretation. Most other SOSUS facilities were incorporated into larger military complexes, while Point Sur was established as a stand-alone, self-sufficient base. Except for one building retained by the U. S. Navy, the former Point Sur NAVFAC was transferred to State Parks in 2000. Park employees, volunteers and the Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers have been instrumental in recent restoration efforts which have made it possible to open the facility for tours. Three-hour walking tours of the Point Sur Lightstation are offered Saturdays at 10am and 2pm, Sundays at 10am and Wednesdays at 1pm. This is a volunteer led tour, with a rise in elevation of 360 feet and two stairways, the longer having 61 steps. Tours of the historic Point Sur Naval Facility are offered at 10:30am Saturday and Sunday mornings. NAVFAC tours are approximately two hours long.
Point Pinos Lighthouse, Pacific Grove: Since February 1, 1855, its beacon has flashed nightly as a guide and warning to shipping off the rocky California coast. The light is projected by a third order Fresnel lens manufactured in France in the 1850s. The first light source was whale oil forced up from a tank by a gravity-operated piston. Lard oil soon replaced whale oil, and in turn was replaced by kerosene in 1882. The light had a rigid schedule of being lit one hour prior to sunset, and extinguished one hour after sunrise. The first lightkeeper was Charles Layton, appointed to the post at $1000 per year. He was killed in 1856 while serving as a member of the sheriff's posse chasing the notorious outlaw, Anastacio Garcia. He was succeeded by his widow, Charlotte, who remained head lightkeeper until 1860, when she married her assistant lightkeeper, George Harris. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote of visiting lightkeeper Allen Luce in 1879 after a long walk through the woods from Monterey, praising Luce's hospitality, piano playing, ship models and oil paintings. The most famous lightkeeper was Mrs. Emily Fish, who served from 1893 to 1914. She was called the "Socialite Keeper" due to her love of entertaining guests at the lighthouse. The present light source, located 89 feet above sea level, is a 200watt LED lamp, reflected and refracted by the prisms in the lens to produce a beam of 19,500 Lumens, visible under favorable conditions up to 17 miles distant. The present signal still has a simple occulting 4 second characteristic. A new battery-operated back-up LED strobe is used only at dark when the lighthouse power is off. The Lighthouse is open for guests to view the site Thursdays-Sundays from 1pm-3pm and open at 11am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, Santa Cruz: The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse now stands near the original location of the Santa Cruz Lighthouse. Its namesake, Mark Abbott, drowned while body surfing near Pleasure Point. Abbott’s parents used the money from his life insurance policy to donate a lighthouse to the city of Santa Cruz. The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse became a Santa Cruz staple in 1967. Now, the lighthouse is the home of the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, which overlooks the iconic Steamer Lane surf spot. The museum houses artifacts, photos, surfboards, and other pieces showcasing Santa Cruz’s vibrant surf history. Overlooking internationally renowned surfing hotspot Steamer Lane, this little gem of a museum has photographs, surfboards, and other interesting artifacts tracing over 100 years of surfing history in Santa Cruz. The museum shop specializes in great surfing books and surfing related items. The museum is open Thursdays-Mondays from 12pm-4pm.
Santa Cruz Breakwater Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz: The Santa Cruz Breakwater (Walton) Lighthouse serves as a signal for the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Locals and visitors alike can enjoy the bike loop to visit the Walton Lighthouse and the Santa Cruz Lighthouse within minutes of each other. Located at the far north end of Monterey Bay, a lighthouse has protected the entrance to Santa Cruz Harbor for over fifty years. Beginning in 1964, a box light structure stood on the west jetty. It was replaced by a cylindrical structure nicknamed “the water heater” from 1996 to 1999. Fundraising efforts to build something more elegant in appearance were met with success and construction began with an inner core which houses electrical equipment and a circular staircase that climbs to the top of the lighthouse. The lightstation was dedicated on June 9, 2002 and was officially named the Walton Lighthouse in honor of Charles Walton’s late brother, Derek, who served in the merchant marines. The lighthouse can be found at the end of Seabright Beach, you are not able to enter the lighthouse as it is an unmanned station, but you are able to enjoy the grounds and peaceful seaside setting.
For those travelers interested in history and restored architecture, these central California coast tours are sure to light them up! Pismo Beach is a great place to stay along the way.