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Point Reyes Lighthouse

Lighthouse · Marin County, California

Point Reyes Lighthouse in the Gulf of the Farallones on Point Reyes in Point Reyes National Seashore. The lighthouse reopened in November 2019 after a 15-month
Point Reyes Lighthouse in the Gulf of the Farallones on Point Reyes in Point Reyes National Seashore. The lighthouse reopened in November 2019 after a 15-month · Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Point Reyes Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Marin County, California. California has 52 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 6 of them in Marin County.

It was built in 1870, in the late 19th century, making it the 7th oldest of the 33 in California with a recorded construction date; its light sits 102 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 5s (a white flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 21 nautical miles; it guards Gulf of the Farallones; the structure is built of cast iron.

Status check, 2026-11: The 16-sided cast-iron tower, first lit December 1, 1870, still holds its first-order Fresnel lens. It was retired in 1975 when an automated light was installed below it. Sources give the height as either 35 or 37 ft, so it is left null. Point Reyes Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 37.9975° N, 123.0164° W.

Key facts

Current structure built1870
Focal height102 ft
Light characteristicFl W 5s
Range21 nautical miles
Body of waterGulf of the Farallones
Materialcast iron
Heritage designationNational Register of Historic Places listed place
National RegisterListed
Coordinates37.99750, -123.01639

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Nearby places

Questions

Where is Point Reyes Lighthouse?

Point Reyes Lighthouse is in Marin County, California, at 37.9975, -123.0164.

How many lighthouses are in Marin County?

Marin County, California has 6 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.