Point Pinos Lighthouse

Point Pinos Lighthouse stands at the very tip of the Monterey Peninsula, where Pacific Grove meets the open ocean. Built in 1855, it is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the American Pacific Coast, still flashing its signal across the bay from the same granite building that has stood there for over 170 years.

The lighthouse and its grounds are open to visitors on weekends. The interior shows the original Fresnel lens and the keepers' quarters as they looked during the 19th century. Outside, the rocky headland is excellent for spotting sea otters floating in the kelp beds, harbour seals hauled out on nearby rocks, and shorebirds working the tidepools. The path along the rocky shore here is one of the finest short coastal walks on the Monterey Peninsula.

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A story
Point Pinos Lighthouse first lit in 1855, making it the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Pacific Coast of the United States. During its first century it was tended by just a handful of keepers, including two women who served as principal keepers for decades — unusual positions of authority for women of that era.