Tier 2
Piedras Blancas Light Station
San Simeon · San Luis Obispo County · Central Coast
One of the rare California stations where you can take a structured guided tour of the grounds and outbuildings, paired with one of the largest elephant seal rookeries on the coast immediately to the south. The truncation story is its own piece of mid-century Coast Guard engineering history.
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.
Your lighthouse passport
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Check in at Piedras Blancas Light Station to collect your digital stamp. Add your name if you like.
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From the field
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⚠ Verify before you drive
Hours, fees, tours, or access status at this station change often. Confirm with the official source before your trip.
Visit essentials
Access
Current hours
Reservations
Fees
Accessibility
The light
Year first lit
Current structure built
Tower height
Focal plane
Optic
Light characteristic
Stewardship & location
Owner
Manager
Coordinates
National Register
The story
Built 1875 near San Simeon. The original 115-foot tower's lantern room and first-order Fresnel lens were removed in 1949; the lens is now on display at the Veterans Memorial Building in Cambria. The truncated tower, with a 142-foot focal plane, remains an active aid to navigation under BLM management.
The visit
Guided tours only, year-round. Summer schedule (June 15–Aug 31): daily except Wednesdays and Sundays. Off-season: check the BLM site for current days and fees. Reservations via Recreation.gov. Plan to combine with the elephant seal viewpoint.
Make a day of it
Base yourself in
Nearby lighthouses
Point Sur Light Station
★ Flagship 12Big Sur, Central Coast
The most complete surviving light station complex in California. The 3-hour guided tour is among the most immersive lighthouse experiences on the West Coast. The volcanic rock setting is visually extraordinary.
Point San Luis Lighthouse
Avila Beach, Central Coast
One of the most architecturally intact Victorian light stations on the California coast and one of the only ones where you can both hike in and ride a shuttle. Volunteer docent-led tours are the primary experience.
Help keep this guide accurate: report changed access, a broken link, or a factual correction.
Sources
- Officialblm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/california/piedras-blancas-light-station
- Officialrecreation.gov/ticket/facility/252948
- Secondarylighthousefriends.com/light.asp
- Secondaryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedras_Blancas_Light_Station
- Imagescommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piedras_Blancas_Lighthouse.jpg
Image rights: BLM images generally public domain. Wikimedia Commons has CC-licensed images.
Research confidence: high · Last verified 2026-05-13