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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 built1875
Tower height70 ft
Focal height141 ft
Light characteristicFl W 10s
Range21 nautical miles
Heritage designationNational Register of Historic Places listed place
National RegisterListed
Coordinates35.66560, -121.28400

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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.

Sources and licences

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.