Tier 2
Discovery Bay Lighthouse
Discovery Bay · Contra Costa County · California Delta
California's lighthouse story did not end with the historic Coast Guard stations. Discovery Bay is a modern Delta light: a working local reference, a civic landmark, and a reminder that communities still build towers to welcome people home from the water.
Labels
- Tier 1–3
- Editorial browse cues for prominence and context—not circuits, checklists, or achievements.
- Active aid
- The light currently serves navigation. It does not mean the tower, grounds, or interior are open to visitors.
- Public / restricted access
- Some approved visitor access versus a legal viewpoint, special arrangement, or no ordinary public entry. Always check the official guidance.
- Flagship 12
- The curated statewide circuit. It is separate from the editorial tier labels.
Private field log
Check in here
At Discovery Bay Lighthouse? Save a private Passport mark for your own records. That mark is not a verified check-in and never creates a public Visitors entry. Where an approved proof point is active, use a fresh location reading to verify the visit separately.
Checking for an approved location proof point…
Private Passport marks and verified check-ins are different records. Location verification uses exact coordinates once and does not store them. Publishing a verified visit in the Visitor Logbook remains optional and always a separate opt-in.
From the field
Visited recently? Share a condition update for the next visitor.
⚠ Verify before you drive
This modern community lighthouse is a privately maintained, unofficial aid rather than a historic U.S. Coast Guard light station. Exterior viewing is supported by a recent field visit and a secondary maritime directory, but the public approach and hours are not yet documented by a primary source. Confirm posted waterfront access before visiting.
Visit essentials
Access
Current hours
Tours
Reservations
Fees
Accessibility
The light
Year first lit
Current structure built
Tower height
Focal plane
Optic
Light characteristic
Stewardship & location
Owner
Manager
Coordinates
The story
Built in 2013 at the entrance to Discovery Bay's dredged waterways from Indian Slough, this modern tower is a privately maintained, unofficial aid to navigation and a community landmark, not a historic federal light station. Reclamation District 800 describes Discovery Bay as the first Delta community to have a lighthouse.
The visit
The white octagonal tower stands at the entrance to Discovery Bay's waterways. The site is reported open for exterior viewing, but the tower is closed. Respect marina and waterfront boundaries, and confirm current access before making a dedicated trip.
Make a day of it
Base yourself in
Food / coffee
Stay nearby
Nearby lighthouses
Southampton Shoal Light
Richmond, Bay Area
Most relocated California lighthouses end up in public parks. This one became a private clubhouse — a different ending and worth knowing about.
Carquinez Strait Light
Crockett, Bay Area
Closes the loop on the small cluster of inland-bay screw-pile lights that supported Bay-to-Delta navigation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — Mare Island, Southampton Shoal, Roe Island, and Carquinez Strait.
Roe Island Light (demolished)
Pittsburg, Bay Area
An archive-only entry. Useful as the cleanest example of a California lighthouse being erased by another federal use of the same waterway, and as a footnote in the broader Bay-and-Delta navigational story.
Spot something wrong on this page? Closure changed, broken link, a detail that no longer matches reality?
Sources
- Officialrd800.org/discovery-bay-is-the-first-delta-community-to-have-a-lighthouse
- Officialdbw.parks.ca.gov/BoatingFacilities/f/498
- Secondarymarineradar.com/lighthouse/discovery-bay-15978
- Secondarydiscoverybaychamber.org/membership/member-benefits/discovery-bay-lighthouse-photos-by-bill-klipp
Image rights: Photograph supplied by Andy Farro on August 26, 2026 and used with permission. Credit: Andy Farro.
Research confidence: medium · Last verified 2026-08-26