Point Reyes Lighthouse

Some lighthouses welcome sailors to port; some lighthouses warn them of danger. Point Reyes Lighthouse was most certainly built to warn vessels away from a treacherous coastline that was the death of many ships.

Congress voted construction funds for a light back in 1852, but legal tussles with coastal bluff landowners delayed installation until 1870. Meanwhile, countless ships ran aground, their captains wishing Congress had hired a few lawyers with more hustle.

Lighthouse keepers had learned that placing a light too high atop California’s coastal cliffs diminished the beam’s fog-penetrating effectiveness; thus, the Point Reyes Lighthouse was built about halfway down the 600-foot bluffs. Sailors needed a light, not a star.

The unusual placement of the station greatly increased its construction costs-as well as the costs of supplying it during its century of service. Everything had to be lowered down or hauled up the cliff: barrels of oil, food, even replacement keepers. Nasty weather, isolation from the world, and the relentless bellow of the foghorn made the lot of the lighthouse keeper a difficult one and contributed to drinking and discipline problems. Some keepers went outright bonkers, and who could blame them? Imagine weeks without sun, foghorn echoing in your skull, and wind shaking the windows at midnight.

The 16-sided lighthouse is anchored to the cliff with large bolts, like a stubborn barnacle that refuses to be pried off. The great Fresnel lens was first lit in 1870. Its 24 panels revolve once every two minutes, producing a white flash for ships at sea every five seconds. For decades it was the difference between reaching San Francisco Bay and becoming a cautionary tale on the rocks below.

By some accounts, Point Reyes is the foggiest point on the Pacific Coast, supposedly second only to Rhode Island’s Nantucket Island in the entire U.S. A week or more can pass without any sun. When the fog finally does lift, however, the lighthouse observation platform transforms into one of the finest places in California to watch migrating gray whales. During the winter months, bring your binoculars and scan the horizon for the passing gentle giants.

Point Reyes is also one of the windiest points on the Pacific Coast. Sixty-mile-per hour winds are common and gusts over one hundred miles an hour have been recorded. High winds mean: 1) fog can be blown away pronto; 2) dress warmly and in layers; 3) use caution on the path and those 308 unforgiving stairs leading down to the light. Think of it as a 25-story fitness test, with ocean views as your reward.

Today, the lighthouse has retired from service but not from storytelling. The visitor center offers a close look at the Fresnel lens, the keeper’s quarters, and exhibits that capture both the hardships and the heroics of life on the edge of the continent. My family-kids included-have always enjoyed the enthusiastic interpretation by rangers and docents, who bring the place alive with tales of shipwrecks, storms, and eccentric keepers who once called this lonely cliff home.