Marin French Cheese. John Muir National Historic Site. Pigeon Point Light Station. Perched on a cliff on the central California coast, 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America, has been guiding mariners since 1872. Its five-wick lard oil lamp, and first-order Fresnel lens, comprised of 1,008 prisms, was first lit at sunset, November 15, 1872. The lens stands 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 2,000 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.
Although the original Fresnel lens is no longer in use, the lighthouse is still an active U.S. Temporary ClosuresThe lighthouse is currently closed to the public, but the grounds remain open. Location/DirectionsThe park is located along California Highway 1, 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 27 miles north of Santa Cruz. Seasons/ClimateThe weather can be changeable; layered clothing is recommended. *Map not to scale Smoking is prohibited. Pinnacles National Monument. Jelly Belly Tour. Children's Museum of Stockton. Yosemite National Park. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park - California's Classic Beach Experience. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.