WayfarrowSanta Cruz Lighthouse
Lighthouse · Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Santa Cruz County, California. California has 52 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 2 of them in Santa Cruz County.
It was built in 1967, in the postwar decades, making it the 32nd oldest of the 33 in California with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 39 feet tall (20th tallest of 26 measured in California); its light sits 59 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 5s (a white flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 12 nautical miles; it guards Pacific Ocean.
Status check, 2026-11: The current tower is the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse. It is an active, privately maintained light that also houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. It replaced the 1869 lighthouse, which was demolished in 1948. One source gives the height as 41 ft. It stands at 36.9515° N, 122.0268° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 39 ft |
| Focal height | 59 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 5s |
| Range | 12 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 36.95148, -122.02677 |
Nearby places
- Santa Cruz Breakwater Lightlighthouse · Santa Cruz County · 1.5 mi
- Rapettighost town · Santa Cruz County · 1.7 mi
- Pueblo de Figueroaghost town · Santa Cruz County · 1.9 mi
- Glen Canyon Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Santa Cruz County · 3.6 mi
- California Powder Works Bridgecovered bridge · Santa Cruz County · 4.2 mi
- New Brightonghost town · Santa Cruz County · 5.5 mi
- Petroleumghost town · Santa Cruz County · 6.7 mi
- Felton Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Santa Cruz County · 7.3 mi
- Farleyghost town · Santa Cruz County · 7.4 mi
- Magnetic Springghost town · Santa Cruz County · 8.5 mi
- Leonardghost town · Santa Cruz County · 8.6 mi
- Ecclesghost town · Santa Cruz County · 9.1 mi
Questions
Where is Santa Cruz Lighthouse?
Santa Cruz Lighthouse is in Santa Cruz County, California, at 36.9515, -122.0268.
How many lighthouses are in Santa Cruz County?
Santa Cruz County, California has 2 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
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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.