The Lighthouse Circuit

Access, tours, hours, fees, and closures change often. Always verify with the official source before driving.

Tier 1 · Essential · ★ Flagship 12

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park

Pescadero · San Mateo County · Bay Area / Peninsula

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the Peninsula coast of California, first lit in 1872, owned by California State Parks. It is one of the twelve flagship stations of The Lighthouse Circuit. This lighthouse is part of the Flagship 12 circuit.

Active aidstandingPublic accesseasyCalifornia State Parks
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a 115-foot white tower south of Pescadero
Photo: Frank Schulenburg· CC BY-SA 4.0· Wikimedia Commons

⚠ Verify before you drive

Tower closure and restoration confirmed via CA State Parks (updated March 2026). No reopening date given. Verify hostel availability and current hours.

Year first lit

1872

Current structure built

1872

Tower height

115 ft

Focal plane

148 ft

Optic

First-order Fresnel lens (original; on display in fog signal building; not the active beacon)

Light characteristic

Fl W 10s (flashing white every 10 seconds; automated LED)

Owner

California State Parks

Manager

California State Parks

Coordinates

37.1822, -122.3939 Map

Current hours

Day-use area: 8am to sunset. Visitor Center and Park Store: Thursday–Tuesday, 10am–4pm (as staffing permits). Tower: CLOSED for restoration (no reopening date).

Fees

Free (day use). Hostel rates vary.

NRHP listed

Yes

History

One of the tallest lighthouses on the West Coast at 115 ft. First lit November 15, 1872. Named for the ship Carrier Pigeon wrecked nearby in 1853. Original first-order Fresnel lens (1,008 prisms) now on display in fog signal building.

Why it matters

Iconic silhouette on the San Mateo coast. One of the most photographed lighthouses in California. The on-site hostel makes it a unique overnight destination. Tower restoration is a major ongoing story.

The visit

Grounds and fog signal building open. Original Fresnel lens on display. Tower closed for restoration (started February 2024; no reopening date). Guided history walks Sundays at 2pm. HI Hostel on site for overnight stays. Virtual 3D tour available via CyArk.

Logistics

Recommended base

Pescadero, Half Moon Bay, or Santa Cruz

Nearby food / coffee

Duarte's Tavern (Pescadero), Arcangeli Grocery (Pescadero), Half Moon Bay restaurants

Nearby lodging

HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel (on-site), Half Moon Bay hotels and B&Bs, Pescadero vacation rentals

Accessibility

Grounds accessible. Rocky Point around lighthouse closed to all visitors (erosion/nesting birds). No dogs except service animals. No drones.

Flagship 12 anchor for the Bay Area/Peninsula. Easy access from San Francisco. High photography value. Hostel makes it a natural overnight stop on the coast circuit.

Nearby lighthouses

Point Montara Light Station, an active aid and HI hostel

Point Montara Light Station

Montara, Bay Area / Peninsula

Tier 1Active aidPublic accesseasy

On-site hostel makes it a popular overnight destination on the San Mateo coast. Pairs naturally with Pigeon Point for a Peninsula lighthouse overnight.

Año Nuevo Island and its ruined light station off the San Mateo coast

Año Nuevo Light Station

Pescadero, Bay Area / Peninsula

Tier 2InactivePublic accessmoderate⚠ Verify

More famous today for the largest mainland elephant seal rookery in California than for the light station itself — but the ruins read as a clean lesson in what a coastal site looks like when navigation tech moves on and the buildings stay.

Recent visit notes

Mar 19, 2026·M.L., Pacifica

Drove out on a Wednesday in March. Parking lot half empty. Tower still scaffolded for the restoration — no interior access. Walked the bluff trail anyway. Fog kept lifting and resettling like a slow tide; about a 25-minute weather cycle. The hostel staff said the next public event is in May and pointed me toward the bluff overlook on the south side of the keeper's house for the best photograph. They were right.

Tip · Park at the upper lot if the main one's full — the trail loops back. Cheaper than circling.

fogclosuresTower interior still closed for restoration. No reopening date posted at the hostel.

Drove from Pacifica

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Sources

Image rights: CA State Parks images may require permission. Wikimedia Commons has CC-licensed images. HAER/HABS Library of Congress images public domain.

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