Pigeon Point Lighthouse - California, United States
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Pigeon Point Lighthouse


Location
City Pescadero
State California
Country United States


Contact Information
Phone 650.879.0633
Fax 650.879.9120


Navigation
Latitude 37° 10" 57'
Longitude -122° 23" 38'
Format DD DMS
Body of water Pacific Ocean
Height Above Water 148 feet
Light Characteristics Flashing White Every Ten Seconds
Address 210 Pigeon Point Road
Pescadero, CA 94060
United States
Current Conditions
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Temperature: 59F
Dewpoint: 59F

Scattered Clouds
High: 63F
Low: 45F

Partly Cloudy
High: 63F
Low: 47F

Partly Cloudy
High: 63F
Low: 45F

Chance of Rain

Introduction:
Tangled among the rugged coastline north of Point Ano Nuevo, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is located 40 miles south of San Francisco and about 25 miles north of Santa Cruz. A huge structure with white external bricks and an elaborate cast iron internal framework, the light is among the largest on the California coast.

History:
Formerly know as Punta de las Balenas (Whale Point), the point got its current name from an 1853 shipwreck at a different location involving the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon. From 1853 to 1870, three more shipwrecks occurred in the area, and plans for a lighthouse were drafted.

Construction of the tower began in 1871, and the light was first lit in late 1872. An interesting fact is that the original (and still in use) 8,000-pound Fresnel lens is thought to have formerly resided inside the light at Cape Hatteras. A modern electric optic powers the light today.

Navigating in and Around the Lighthouse:
Use NOAA Chart 18680.

Characteristics: Flashing white every ten seconds with a 148-foot-high focal plane.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of a long string of lighthouses situated on dangerous, rocky points along the California Coast to aid recreational and commercial interests in their passages up and down the coast. There are no marine facilities of interest, and the light is solely an offshore aid to navigation.

Local Notices to Mariners:
Local Notices to Mariners are now available exclusively online from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Tour Schedule:
Tours of the tower itself are available on weekends only, but the grounds are open from 8 a.m. to sunset.