Tier 2 · Notable
Long Beach Light
Long Beach Harbor Light
Long Beach · Los Angeles County · Southern California
Long Beach Light is an active lighthouse on the Southern California coast of California, first lit in 1949, owned by US Coast Guard.
Year first lit
Current structure built
Tower height
Focal plane
Optic
Light characteristic
Owner
Manager
Coordinates
Current hours
Fees
History
Built 1949 on the outer breakwater of one of the busiest container ports in the United States. The 50-foot concrete tower replaced an earlier structure and has an unmistakable Art Deco profile that doesn't look like anything else on the California coast. Light characteristic: flashing white every 5 seconds.
Why it matters
The Art Deco design is the outlier in the California atlas — almost every other active California light is either a 19th-century tower or a mid-century USCG utility structure. This one is neither. Worth pairing with Point Vicente and Point Fermin on a Los Angeles harbor day.
The visit
No public access. Best viewed from the Long Beach breakwater on a clear day, or from harbor cruises and whale-watching boats that pass close. No organized lighthouse tour visits the structure itself.
Logistics
Recommended base
Nearby food / coffee
Nearby lodging
Best combined with Point Fermin and Los Angeles Harbor Light on the Southern California circuit. View-only stop; plan for a harbor cruise for the best photo opportunity.
Nearby lighthouses
Point Fermin Lighthouse
San Pedro, Southern California
The WWII blackout story is unique in California lighthouse history. The Victorian architecture is extraordinary — unlike any other lighthouse in the state. Free museum with original Fresnel lens.
Los Angeles Harbor Light
San Pedro, Southern California
The green tower is one of the most visually distinctive working lighthouses in the country. It defines the visual entrance to the busiest port on the West Coast and the city's harbor identity. Pairs visually with Point Fermin a few miles up the coast.
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
- Officialen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach_Light
- Officiallighthousefriends.com/light.asp
- Imagescommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Long_Beach_Harbor_Light.jpg
Image rights: Wikimedia Commons images available. USCG photos are public domain.
Research confidence: medium · Last verified 2026-05-13