A free field guide · California, V1
The Lighthouse Circuit
A Saturday worth leaving home for.
A free field guide to all 50 California lighthouse sites — history, maps, field reports, and practical trip planning — with a curated Flagship 12 from San Diego to the Oregon border.
Two questions · official schedules · no account
New · Your private field log
How many lights have you seen?
Check off all 50 California lighthouse sites, track the Flagship 12, print the list, and share your progress. No account required; your passport stays on your device.
Start your passportThe Flagship 12
The definitive statewide circuit
Old Point Loma Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12San Diego, Southern California
The oldest lighthouse structure on the West Coast and one of the most historically significant in the United States. Its deactivation story — too high, too foggy — is a foundational lesson in lighthouse engineering.
Point Vicente Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Rancho Palos Verdes, Southern California
Visually striking white tower on dramatic cliffs above the Pacific. One of the most recognizable lighthouse silhouettes in California. Active light. Adjacent to whale migration corridor.
Point Conception Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Lompoc, Central Coast
Geographically and historically one of the most significant lighthouse sites on the Pacific Coast. The 'corner' of California. Not publicly accessible, which makes it a compelling inclusion — the unreachable lighthouse.
Point Sur Light Station
★ Flagship 12Big Sur, Central Coast
The most complete surviving light station complex in California. The 3-hour guided tour is among the most immersive lighthouse experiences on the West Coast. The volcanic rock setting is visually extraordinary.
Point Pinos Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Pacific Grove, Central Coast
The longest continuously lit lighthouse on the West Coast, still using its original 1855 third-order Fresnel lens. The Point Pinos team reports that no wreck has occurred because its light went out.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
★ Flagship 12Pescadero, Bay Area / Peninsula
A lens with a life on two coasts, the daily labor of its keepers, and a tower being restored for another generation. The museum brings those stories within reach while the tower remains closed.
The people behind the light
A lighthouse never ran
on light alone.
Keepers. Lampists. Families. Crews bringing supplies ashore. Meet the people whose work made a light something mariners could depend on.
Meet the people behind the light →Editorial
Not another travel blog
Each station gets a real entry — when it was lit, what kind of lens, who keeps it now, why it matters, and what the visit is actually like. No SEO filler.
Source-grounded
Linked back to who knows
Every entry cites official sources — NPS, Coast Guard, lighthouse associations, HABS/HAER. We tell you when something needs to be verified before you drive.
Free & open
No accounts, no ads, no affiliate links
If it helps, support the preservation organizations keeping these lights, lenses, and archives alive. We point you to them on the resources page.
What's next
Two coasts to explore
Explore California and Oregon with the state selector above: lighthouse histories, photographs, and practical trip planning. Read why the guide exists →