Pigeon Point Light Station
DETAILS:
Location: 210 Pigeon Point Road, Pescadero, CA 94060
Hours of Operation: Daily - 8AM to Sunset
Visitor Center & Store: Thursday thru Monday 10AM to 4PM
Parking: Free parking lot available on site.
Cost: Free!
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Miscellaneous:
Dogs are not permitted on the grounds (except for service animals).
Restrooms available near the parking lot.
Hostel accommodations available on site. Please see website provided below (under “resources”) for details.
Half hour guided history walks around the lighthouse grounds are available, staff permitting, or upon request by calling 650-879-2120.
Perched upon a picturesque bluff overlooking the crashing waves below, it would be easy to mistake Pigeon Point Light Station as a resident of the New England coastline, but you can find it right here in California guarding the shores of the Pacific. Opened for service in 1872, the story of Pigeon Point Light Station actually begins in 1853 when a clipper ship named the Carrier Pigeon departed on her maiden voyage from Boston to San Francisco. Without a lighthouse to help navigate the thick fog, the Carrier Pigeon never completed its journey as it fell victim to the rock-infested waters of Northern California. The incident was so infamous, the land closet to the shipwreck (previously known as Punta de las Ballenas or “Point of the Whales”) was renamed Pigeon Point. After three more ships were lost in the following years, Congress (who funded and maintained all lighthouses in the US from 1852 to 1910 via the United States Lighthouse Board) finally realized the necessity for a lighthouse in the area. Pigeon Point Light Station was built soon there after.
Located 5 miles south of Pescadero (50 miles south of San Francisco), the light station’s 115 foot white masonry tower makes it the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast (tied with Point Arena Lighthouse in Mendocino County). While the tower is no longer operational due to structural concerns, the light station is still in active use by the US Coast Guard for navigational training purposes. In addition, Pigeon Point Light Station is now apart of the California State Parks system as well as being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And it just might be the coolest hotel in the country since the housing accommodation originally used by staff have been turned into a hostel currently operated by HI USA.
One of the more fascinating artifacts that can be viewed at the Light Station is its original first-order Fresnel lens on display in the Fog Signal Building. Invented by French physicist; Augustin-Jean Fresnel, this beehive-shaped lens has often been referred to as "the invention that saved a million ships”. Comprised of 1008 prisms, the lens is able to magnify a single beam of light with such intensity that it can be seen from over twenty miles away. The beam’s array and accompanying fog horn were also unique to the light station making Pigeon Point easily identifiable to any nearby ships that needed to mark their location. The largest lens available (hence its “first-order” designation out of a possible six), the Fresnel lens at Pigeon Point stands 16 feet tall, is 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 2,000 pounds. In 1972, the lens was ultimately replaced by a fully automated rotating aero-beacon. Thankful, the lens was saved for posterity’s sake and should be taken full advantage to appreciate its beautiful design up close & personal.
Once open for visitation, the lighthouse tower experienced enough structural decay that it was forced to close to the public in 2001 due to safety concerns. But continuing efforts by state park officials and local supporters hope to raise enough money to restore the lighthouse by 2022. Fingers crossed that day comes sooner than later. In the meanwhile, you can still enjoy a stop at the visitor’s center (you’ll definitely want to check out the gorgeous Fresnel lens first hand) and stroll around the scenic grounds that circle the property.
