WayfarrowPoint Montara Light
Lighthouse · San Mateo County, California
Point Montara Light is a lighthouse in San Mateo County, California. California has 52 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 3 of them in San Mateo County.
It was built in 1881, in the late 19th century, making it the 15th oldest of the 33 in California with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 30 feet tall (23rd tallest of 26 measured in California); its light sits 69 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 5s (a white flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 14 nautical miles; it guards Pacific Ocean; the structure is built of steel.
Status check, 2026-11: The station dates from 1875. The cast-iron tower was built in 1881 as the Mayo Beach Light in Wellfleet, MA, and was put up again at Point Montara in 1928. Point Montara Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 37.5363° N, 122.5190° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1881 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 30 ft |
| Focal height | 69 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 5s |
| Range | 14 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Pacific Ocean |
| Material | steel |
| Heritage designation | California Point of Historical Interest |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 37.53630, -122.51900 |
Nearby places
- Purissimaghost town · San Mateo County · 10.8 mi
- Purisimaghost town · San Mateo County · 10.8 mi
- Searsvilleghost town · San Mateo County · 17.7 mi
- Mile Rocks Lightlighthouse · San Francisco County · 17.7 mi
- Sydney Townghost town · San Francisco County · 19.1 mi
- Fort Point Light, San Franciscolighthouse · San Francisco County · 19.1 mi
- Point Bonita Lighthouselighthouse · Marin County · 19.3 mi
- Point Diablo Lightlighthouse · Marin County · 19.7 mi
- Lime Point Lightlighthouse · Marin County · 20.1 mi
- Yerba Buena Lightlighthouse · San Francisco County · 20.6 mi
- Alcatraz Island Lightlighthouse · San Francisco County · 20.7 mi
- Stokes Landingghost town · Alameda County · 20.8 mi
Questions
Where is Point Montara Light?
Point Montara Light is in San Mateo County, California, at 37.5363, -122.5190.
How many lighthouses are in San Mateo County?
San Mateo 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.