Tier 3 · Curiosities
Ballast Point Light (demolished)
Ballast Point Light Station
San Diego · San Diego County · Southern California
Ballast Point Light (demolished) is a demolished lighthouse on the Southern California coast of California, first lit in 1890, owned by U.S. Navy.
Photo coming soon
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History
Built 1890 inside what is now Naval Base Point Loma, near the entrance to San Diego Bay. The lighthouse was demolished long ago and no public-facing structure remains. Included here as a curiosity entry.
Why it matters
A reminder that the larger Point Loma headland once hosted three navigational lights (the original, the current active aid, and Ballast Point), not the two more often discussed.
The visit
No public access — the site is on active Navy land. Visible only at a distance from harbor cruises. No interpretive marker on the public side.
Logistics
Recommended base
Accessibility
Nearby lighthouses
Old Point Loma Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12San Diego, Southern California
The oldest lighthouse structure on the West Coast and one of the most historically significant in the United States. Its deactivation story — too high, too foggy — is a foundational lesson in lighthouse engineering.
New Point Loma Lighthouse
San Diego, Southern California
The 'replacement' story — why the old lighthouse failed and how the new one solved the problem — is a compelling engineering narrative. Visible from Cabrillo NM.
Visited this light? Leave a note for the next driver.
Add your noteSpot something wrong on this page? Closure changed, broken link, a detail that no longer matches reality?
Sources
- Officialhistory.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/All/Article/1975557/ballast-point-lighthouse
- Secondaryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballast_Point_Light
Image rights: USCG images public domain.
Research confidence: low · Last verified 2026-05-13