Tier 1
Point Bonita Lighthouse
Point Bonita Light Station
Sausalito · Marin County · Bay Area
The guardian of the Golden Gate. One of the most dramatic lighthouse settings in the United States — perched on a rocky point, accessed by a suspension bridge over crashing surf. The very limited access (one Saturday per month) makes planning essential.
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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The Listening Coast · Arrival story
0:58The Guardian of the Golden Gate
A one-minute field story for Point Bonita Lighthouse. Listen before the road or when you arrive.
Read transcript
Lighthouse Circuit. The Listening Coast — Point Bonita Lighthouse. At Point Bonita, the route to the lighthouse tells you why the lighthouse had to exist. The coast breaks into steep rock, restless water, fog, and a narrow entrance leading toward San Francisco Bay. Reaching the current tower involves a hand-cut tunnel and, when access permits, a suspension bridge above the surf. The station's historic second-order Fresnel lens was moved from the original tower to this lower location and remains in the lantern room. During the Gold Rush era, more than three hundred vessels ran aground around the Golden Gate despite every attempt to make the entrance legible. Point Bonita does not make the ocean feel conquered. It makes the margin between safe passage and disaster feel very small.
From the field
Visited recently? Share a condition update for the next visitor.
⚠ Verify before you drive
NPS Marin Headlands staff confirmed the lens order and current visitor information on August 19, 2026. The suspension bridge remains closed until further notice; verify the NPS calendar before traveling.
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
First lighthouse at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Original 1855 lighthouse was the first fog signal station on the Pacific Coast. Current structure dates to 1877. Dramatic setting on rocky headland accessed by suspension bridge (currently closed). Over 300 ships wrecked in the Golden Gate during the Gold Rush years despite the light.
The visit
Trail open third Saturday of each month, 12:30–3:30 PM only. Suspension bridge closed until further notice — viewing platform accessible. Bring binoculars for harbor seals, whales, and porpoises. Contact GOGA_MarinHeadlands_Info@nps.gov for updates.
Make a day of it
Base yourself in
Food / coffee
Stay nearby
Nearby lighthouses
Alcatraz Island Light
San Francisco, Bay Area
The first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast. The Alcatraz connection makes it one of the most-visited lighthouse sites in the United States. The lighthouse is often overlooked by visitors focused on the prison — a compelling story angle.
Lime Point Light
Sausalito, Bay Area
One of the most photographed lighthouse positions in California by accident: it sits squarely under the Golden Gate Bridge. An active aid to navigation still doing the original 1900s job, automated. The light characteristic is Fl W 5s — flashing white every five seconds.
Point Diablo Light
Sausalito, Bay Area
Point Diablo is the middle link in the trio of lights guarding the Golden Gate’s northern approach. It shows how several compact beacons worked together along this hazardous shoreline, even though the site itself is not publicly accessible.
Help keep this guide accurate: report changed access, a broken link, or a factual correction.
Sources
- Officialnps.gov/goga/pobo.htm
- Officialhistory.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/Lighthouses-Light-Stations/Article/1975557/point-bonita-lighthouse
- Secondarylighthousefriends.com/light.asp
- Secondaryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Bonita_Lighthouse
- Imagescommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Point_Bonita_Lighthouse.jpg
- Imagesloc.gov/pictures/search
Image rights: NPS images generally public domain. Wikimedia Commons has CC-licensed images.
Research confidence: high · Last verified 2026-08-19