Tier 2 · Notable

Humboldt Harbor Light

Humboldt Harbor Light Station

Eureka · Humboldt County · North Coast

InactiverelocatedPublic accesseasyCity of Eureka

Table Bluff Lighthouse, the relocated Humboldt Harbor Light — Photo: U.S. Coast Guard· Public domain· Wikimedia Commons

Year first lit

1856

Current structure built

1892

Tower height

35 ft

Focal plane

40 ft

Optic

Fourth-order Fresnel lens (original)

Light characteristic

Decommissioned

Owner

City of Eureka

Manager

City of Eureka / Humboldt Bay Harbor District

Coordinates

40.7196, -124.2256 Map

Current hours

Marina accessible during daylight hours. Tower exterior only.

Fees

Free

History

The original Humboldt Harbor Light (1856) was California's first lighthouse north of San Francisco. Plagued by earthquakes, flooding, and shifting sand, it was replaced multiple times. The surviving Table Bluff tower (1892) was relocated to Woodley Island Marina in Eureka in 1999 and is publicly viewable.

Why it matters

First lighthouse on Humboldt Bay; the relocated tower at Woodley Island Marina is the only surviving physical remnant of the original station.

The visit

The relocated tower stands at Woodley Island Marina in Eureka. Drive-to access, free, no interior access. Good photo opportunity with fishing boats in foreground.

Logistics

Recommended base

Eureka

Nearby food / coffee

Woodley Island Marina restaurants, Eureka waterfront

Nearby lodging

Carter House Inns (Eureka), Bayfront Inn (Eureka)

Accessibility

Relocated tower at Woodley Island Marina in Eureka. Exterior only.

Easy add-on when visiting Trinidad Head or Battery Point. The marina setting makes it accessible and photogenic.

Nearby lighthouses

The Trinidad Head Memorial Lighthouse replica in town

Trinidad Head Lighthouse

★ Flagship 12

Trinidad, North Coast

Tier 1Active aidPublic accesseasy

Dramatic headland setting with views of Trinidad Bay and the Pacific. The compact white tower against the rocky headland is one of the most photogenic lighthouse scenes in Northern California. The town of Trinidad is a charming base.

Battery Point Lighthouse

★ Flagship 12

Crescent City, North Coast

Tier 1Active aidPublic accesseasy⚠ Verify

The tsunami survival story is one of the most dramatic in California lighthouse history. The tidal island setting — walk across at low tide, stranded at high tide — is unlike any other California lighthouse experience. The museum inside the original keeper's dwelling is excellent.

Visited this light? Leave a note in the Keeper's Log.

Add your log entry

Sources

Officialen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Harbor_Light
Officiallighthousefriends.com/light.asp
Secondaryvisitredwoods.com/listing/lighthouses-of-humboldt-county/137
Imagescommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Table_Bluff_Light.jpg

Image rights: USCG images public domain.

Research confidence: medium · Last verified 2026-05-13