Tier 1
St. George Reef Lighthouse
St. George Reef Light Station
Crescent City · Del Norte County · North Coast
The most expensive and most remote lighthouse in California history. The Brother Jonathan wreck story is one of the most dramatic in Pacific Coast maritime history. The helicopter tour is a bucket-list experience.
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 St. George Reef Lighthouse to collect your digital stamp. Add your name if you like.
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From the field
Visited recently? Share a condition update for the next visitor.
⚠ Verify before you drive
2026 helicopter tour dates confirmed (Feb 28–Mar 1, 2026). Check for 2027 dates. Confirm Fresnel lens display location at Del Norte County Historical Society Museum.
Visit essentials
Access
Current hours
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The light
Year first lit
Current structure built
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National Register
The story
The most expensive lighthouse ever built in the United States ($704,000 in 1892 dollars). Built on exposed rock 6 miles offshore in response to the 1865 wreck of the Brother Jonathan (225 lives lost). Decommissioned 1975. Helicopter-only access. Original first-order Fresnel lens on display in Crescent City.
The visit
Helicopter tours approximately 2 weekends per year from Crescent City. $395–$400/person. 1.5 hours total. Limited to 8 per flight. 2026 tours already past — check for next year's dates. Original Fresnel lens viewable at Del Norte County Historical Society Museum.
Make a day of it
Base yourself in
Food / coffee
Stay nearby
Nearby lighthouses
Trinidad Head Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Trinidad, North Coast
The active 1871 station pairs a dramatic North Coast setting with rare, limited interior access. The nearby Memorial Lighthouse preserves the station’s original coal-oil fourth-order Fresnel lens and 1898 bronze fog bell, while Trinidad Museum displays the later fifth-order lens used from 1947 to 2013.
Battery Point Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Crescent City, North Coast
The tsunami survival story is one of the most dramatic in California lighthouse history. The tidal island setting — walk across at low tide, stranded at high tide — is unlike any other California lighthouse experience. The museum inside the original keeper's dwelling is excellent.
Help keep this guide accurate: report changed access, a broken link, or a factual correction.
Sources
- Officialsaintgeorgereeflight.org/tours
- Officiallatimes.com/california/newsletter/2026-03-11/californias-most-remote-lighthouse-reopens-to-public
- Secondarylighthousefriends.com/light.asp
- Secondaryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George_Reef_Lighthouse
- Imagescommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._George_Reef_Lighthouse.jpg
Image rights: Preservation society images may require permission. Wikimedia Commons has CC-licensed images.
Research confidence: high · Last verified 2026-05-13