Piedras Blancas Light Station
Lighthouse · San Luis Obispo County, California
Piedras Blancas Light Station is a lighthouse in San Luis Obispo County, California. California has 52 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 3 of them in San Luis Obispo County.
It was built in 1875, in the late 19th century, making it the 12th oldest of the 33 in California with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 70 feet tall (5th tallest of 26 measured in California); its light sits 141 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 10s (a white flash every 10 seconds), with a range of about 21 nautical miles.
Status check, 2026-11: The tower was originally 100 ft tall. Its top three levels, including the lantern, were removed in 1949 after a Dec 1948 earthquake, leaving about 70 ft (BLM figure; one secondary source says 74 ft). Piedras Blancas Light Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 35.6656° N, 121.2840° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1875 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 70 ft |
| Focal height | 141 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 10s |
| Range | 21 nautical miles |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 35.66560, -121.28400 |
Nearby places
- Pleytoghost town · Monterey County · 21 mi
- Sansghost town · Monterey County · 21.5 mi
- Docasghost town · Monterey County · 34.5 mi
- Doveghost town · San Luis Obispo County · 39.5 mi
- Polomaghost town · San Luis Obispo County · 39.6 mi
- Eagletghost town · San Luis Obispo County · 39.9 mi
- Point San Luis lightlighthouse · San Luis Obispo County · 45.7 mi
- Point San Luis Lightlighthouse · San Luis Obispo County · 45.7 mi
- Steeleghost town · San Luis Obispo County · 48.8 mi
- Maxwelltonghost town · San Luis Obispo County · 49.5 mi
Questions
Where is Piedras Blancas Light Station?
Piedras Blancas Light Station is in San Luis Obispo County, California, at 35.6656, -121.2840.
How many lighthouses are in San Luis Obispo County?
San Luis Obispo County, California has 3 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.