Tier 2 · Notable
Santa Cruz Lighthouse
Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse
Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz County · Central Coast
Santa Cruz Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the Central coast of California, first lit in 1870, owned by City of Santa Cruz.
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Current structure built
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History
The original Santa Cruz Light (1870) was the twelfth lighthouse established on the California coast. The current structure is the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, built in 1967 by Chuck and Esther Abbott in memory of their son Mark, a surfer who drowned nearby in 1965. The Coast Guard reactivated it as an official aid to navigation in 2011.
Why it matters
Houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum — the first surfing museum in the world, opened 1986. A working light, a memorial, and a small museum in one squat brick tower on Lighthouse Point. One of the more emotionally specific stations in the atlas.
The visit
Walk-up access on West Cliff Drive. The grounds are always open. Museum hours are Thursday–Monday, 10am–5pm (seasonal — verify before driving out). Free admission; donations support the museum.
Logistics
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Natural stop between Point Pinos (Pacific Grove) and Pigeon Point on the Central Coast circuit. Easy half-day visit combined with Santa Cruz waterfront.
Nearby lighthouses
Point Pinos Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Pacific Grove, Central Coast
The oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast. The claim of the original Fresnel lens still in active use — if verified — would make it one of the most remarkable lighthouse artifacts in the United States.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Pescadero, Bay Area / Peninsula
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.
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Sources
- Officiallighthousefriends.com/light.asp
- Officialhistory.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/All/Article/1988632/santa-cruz-lighthouse
- Officialsantacruzca.gov/Government/City-Departments/Parks-Recreation/Surfing-Museum
- Secondaryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz_Surfing_Museum
- Imagescommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mark_Abbott_Memorial_Lighthouse.jpg
Image rights: Wikimedia Commons images available under CC BY-SA. USCG historic photos are public domain.
Research confidence: high · Last verified 2026-05-13