Point Pinos Lighthouse

Point Pinos Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Monterey County, California. California has 52 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 2 of them in Monterey County.

It was built in 1855, in the Civil War era, making it the oldest of the 33 in California with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 43 feet tall (14th tallest of 26 measured in California); its light sits 89 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Oc W 4s (a white light that briefly goes dark every 4 seconds), with a range of about 17 nautical miles; it guards Monterey Bay; the structure is built of concrete.

Status check, 2026-11: First lit February 1, 1855, it is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast and still uses its original third-order Fresnel lens. Point Pinos Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 36.6334° N, 121.9340° W.

Key facts

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