Built in 1870, Point Reyes Lighthouse sits at the windiest and foggiest point on the Pacific Coast, 300 steps down from the cliff top. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1975 and is now a museum and whale watching station. During winter, gray whales migrate close to shore, and the surrounding cliffs host colonies of common murres.
Photography Guide
Best Time
afternoon
Crowds
Moderate
Shot Types
widelandscapedetail
Best Seasons
winterspring
Practical Tips
The lighthouse steps are closed during extreme winds. During whale season (January-March), a shuttle bus replaces private vehicle access on weekends. Bring warm windproof layers year-round.
Is it a good day to go?
7-day outlook
Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.
Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.
Gallery
Upward view of a large first-order Fresnel lens inside the lighthouse, with red ribbed glass panels, brass metal supports, and prismatic glass rings catching the light. The circular frame and bright sky beyond emphasize the lens’s tall, layered structure. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0A grassy coastal bluff stretches toward the ocean under a hazy blue afternoon sky, with a narrow dirt trail winding along the ridge. A few tiny hikers dot the hillside, emphasizing the scale of the open landscape and steep drop toward the water. Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Sunlit coastal cliffs with layered tan and gray rock rise above the Pacific, with low green groundcover clinging to the slope. A stone retaining wall and narrow trail edge the left side, while hazy blue sky and calm ocean fill the horizon. Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0A steep metal-railed trail winds down a sunlit, rocky headland toward the small white Point Reyes Lighthouse on the cliff edge. Bright afternoon light glints off the ocean, with waves breaking below and a hazy horizon under streaked clouds. Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Point Reyes Lighthouse sits at the base of steep, pale coastal cliffs, with its white cylindrical tower and red roofed keeper’s building tucked beside the gray Pacific. The wide view emphasizes the vast, calm water and the lighthouse’s remote position far below the cliff top. Photo: Tobias Kleinlercher / Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0A gravel trail climbs along a grassy coastal ridge, with a weathered wooden fence guiding the path toward rocky outcrops. Soft afternoon light and a clear blue sky open to a hazy view of the ocean at the far right. Photo: King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Point Reyes Lighthouse stands on rocky coastal cliffs above a deep blue Pacific, with its white tower and red roof glowing in clear afternoon light. A small outbuilding, railings, and windswept terrain frame the historic lighthouse against a calm horizon. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Point Reyes Lighthouse tower rises against a clear blue sky, its white cylindrical base topped with a glass lantern room and red roof finial. Railings, a wooden stair platform, and the ocean horizon frame the lighthouse on the windy coastal cliff. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0Point Reyes Lighthouse sits atop a rocky coastal cliff, with its white tower and red roof beside a small white keeper’s building and a winding metal-railed walkway. The Pacific stretches behind it under a pale blue sky with low clouds, and white surf foams below the headland. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0Point Reyes Lighthouse sits on a rocky cliff above a vivid blue, wind-ruffled Pacific, with a long fenced walkway and red stairway leading down to the small white lighthouse and keeper’s buildings. The wide view emphasizes the exposed headland, sparse coastal vegetation, and open ocean horizon. Photo: Masur / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
