Lighthouse	Location	Operational?	Public Access to Grounds?	Photography Notes
Cape Decision Light	South Kuiu Island	Yes	No
Cape Hinchinbrook Light	Cordova	Yes	No	Can be photographed from boat.
Cape Sarichef Light	Unimak Island	Yes	No	Extremely remote. You don't want to go there.
Cape Spencer Light	Gustavus	Yes	No
Cape St. Elias Light	Kayak Island	Yes	Yes, by appointment	Remote.
Eldred Rock Light	Lynn Canal	Yes	No
Five Finger Islands Light	Petersburg	Yes	No	Can be photographed from the ferry, or by boat.
Guard Islands Light	Ketchikan	Yes	No
Mary Island Light	Mary Island	Yes	No
Point Retreat Light	Admiralty Island	Yes	No
Scotch Cap Light	Unimak Island	Yes	No	Extremely remote. You don't want to go there.
Sentinel Island Light	Juneau	Yes	Yes, by appointment	Can also be photographed from a boat.
Tree Point Light	Metlakatla	No	No

California Lighthouses

Lighthouse	Location	Operational?	Public Access to Grounds?	Photography Notes
Alcatraz Island Light	San Francisco	Yes	Yes	Can be photographed by boat. You can get on the island with a tour from Fisherman's Wharf. Call 415-705-5555.
Anacapa Island Light	Port Hueneme	Yes	Yes	You can get a boat out to the island, and you can see the lighthouse, even from some good shooting angles. But you cannot get close to the lighthouse because of the foghorn.
Ano Nuevo Lighthouse	Pescadero	No	No	Off shore, mostly ruined and surrounded by a huge colony of harbor seals. In fact, legend has it that the seals invading the quarters is what drove off the last keeper. Can be photographed by boat, but don't go onshore; the island is part of the Año Nuevo State Preserve. Also can be photographed with a long lens from the shore of the preserve. Best light in morning. Can shoot sunset behind it, too.
Battery Point (Crescent City) Light	Battery Point Island, Crescent City	Yes	Yes
Cape Mendocino Light	Mendocino	No	No
Carquinez Strait Light	Vallejo	No	Yes
East Brother Island Light	Richmond	Yes	Yes, by appointment	Call 415-233-2385.
Farallon Island Light	Farallon Island	Yes	No	May be viewed and photographed from a boat.
Fort Point Light	San Francisco	No	No
Lime Point Light	Sausalito	Yes	Yes
Los Angeles Harbor Light	San Pedro	Yes	No
Oakland Harbor Light	Oakland	No	Yes
Piedras Blancas Light	San Simeon	Yes	No
Pigeon Point Light	Pescadero	Yes	Yes	Good distant angles from shore parking lot a little further south from site — good angle for shooting at sunset with a long lens. Though a section of the cornice fell off in the winter of 2001-02, access to the grounds is still permitted. There's a hostel there, too, if you want to sleep there to arise before dawn. You can get good angles from the shore to the north, too.
Point Arena Light	Point Arena	Yes	Yes	Open daily, but not before first light. Light hits stucture all day. Good (but common) angle from just south of the light, looing up the rocky coast.
Point Blunt Light	San Francisco	Yes	No
Point Bonita Light	Sausalito	Yes	Yes	Requires a 1 mile walk. Call first for access, 415-556-0560
Point Cabrillo Light	Mendocino	Yes	Yes	Grounds open from sunrise to sunset.
Point Conception Light	Lompoc	Yes	No	May be photographed from a boat.
Point Fermin Light	San Pedro	No	Yes
Point Hueneme Light	Point Hueneme/Oxnard	Yes	Yes	Lighthouse Keeper Kim Castrobran emailed: "Grounds are open to the public on the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the last shuttle pick-up at port gate at 2:30 p.m. Entrance to lighthouse is via the Lighthouse Promenade which begins at the Flag Plaza on Surfside Drive. The walk is approximately 1/2 mile to the lighthouse gate."
Point Loma Light (new)	San Diego	Yes	Yes, by appointment
Point Loma Light (old)	San Diego	No	Yes	It's now a museum, so people may be around. Light any time of day. Good angles can be found from beach among driftwood.
Point Montara Light	Montara	Yes	Yes	Good access.
Point Pinos Light	Pacific Grove	Yes	Yes
Point Reyes Light	Inverness; Point Reyes National Seashore	No	Yes	300-stair and 1/4-mile walk, so bring a backpack
Point Sur Light	Big Sur	Yes	Yes	Angle from Route 1. You'll need to book a tour to get closer than that. Call 831-625-4419.
Point Vicente Light	Rancho Palos Verdes	Yes	Yes	Lighthouse Keeper Kim Castrobran emailed: "The grounds are open on the second Saturady of each month. Admission is free."
Punta Gorda Light	Petrolia	No	Yes	Six-mile round-trip walk. Bring a backpack. And water. And probably food, too.
San Luis Obispo (Port Harford) Light	Avila Beach	No	Yes, by appointment	Seven-mile round-trip walk. Grounds open weekends by appointment; call 805-541-8735.
Southampton Shoals Light	Tinsley Island	No	Yes, by appointment
St. George Reef Light	Crescent City	No	No	May be viewed and photographed by boat. It's worth the trip, but water can be choppy — go in calm seas only. Lighthouse is undergoing restoration and will be open to the public in the spring and fall, starting fall 2002; access will be by helicopter. Light will be active as of then, too.
Table Bluff Light	Humboldt, Woodley Island	No	No
Trinidad Head Light	Trinidad	Yes	Yes
Yerba Buena Island (Goat Island) Light	San Francisco	Yes	No	May be viewed and photographed by boat.

Hawaii Lighthouses

Lighthouse	Location	Operational?	Public Access to Grounds?	Photography Notes
Barbers Point Light	Kalaeloa, Oahu Island	Yes	No
Cape Kumukahi Light	Pahoa, Hawaii Island	Yes
Diamond Head Light	Honolulu	Yes	No
Kilauea Point Light	Amalu, Kauai Island	No	Yes	Grounds open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Makapuu Point Light	Waimanalo, Oahu Island	Yes	No
Molokai (Kalaupapa) Light	Kaluapapa	Yes	Yes, by appointment
Nawiliwili Harbor Light	Nawiliwili, Kauai Island	Yes	Sometimes	Check with local Coast Guard for access

Oregon Lighthouses

Lighthouse	Location	Operational?	Public Access to Grounds?	Photography Notes
Cape Arago (Cape Gregory) Light	Charleston	No	No	You can get a clear shot over the water from the small peninsula just south of the lighthouse. You'll need at least a small telephoto lens.
Cape Blanco Light	Port Orford	Yes	Yes	Good room to work. However, the light is used for tours, so you may have to wait out a group in the tower if you want a tourist-free shot.
Cape Meares Light	Oceanside	No	Yes
Coquille River (Bandon) Light	Bandon	No	Yes
Heceta Head Light	Florence	Yes	Yes	There's a great angle from a higway pull-off, and another from the parking lot of a seal colony tourist trap, both a little south of the lighthouse. Very photogenic lighthouse. Shoot at end of day, or in fog or other moody light. Neighboring mountains drastically limit the early-morning light.
Tillamook Rock Light	Seaside	No	No
Umpqua River Light	Reedsport	Yes	Yes	Kind of a weird setting in the middle of woods, as seen from Highway 101. Better angles from close up. Good access to grounds. No light in morning.
Yaquina Bay Light	Newport	No	Yes	Now a musuem.
Yaquina Head Light	Newport	Yes	Yes	Very good access to grounds, but can be busy with tourists. Light hits it just about any time of day.

Washington Lighthouses

Lighthouse	Location	Operational?	Public Access to Grounds?	Photography Notes
Admiralty Head Light	Coupeville	No	Yes
Alki Point Light	Seattle	Yes	Yes	Beth Powis emailed to say that the grounds are open only during warm-weather times of the year, approximately May to October.
Browns Point Light	Tacoma	Yes	Yes
Burrows Island Light	Burrows Island, Anacortes	Yes	No
Cape Disappointment Light	Ilwaco	Yes	Yes	Uphill hike, about 1/2 mile to get on grounds. Better angle is from Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Best light is at end of day. Fog is good, too.
Cape Flattery Light	Tatoosh Island, Neah Bay	Yes	No	Shoot from boat. Island is off limits.
Destruction Island Light	Kalaloch	Yes	No
Grays Harbor (Westport) Light	Westport	Yes	Yes	Call 360-268-0078.
Lime Kiln Light	San Juan Island, Friday Harbor	Yes	Yes
Marrowstone Point Light	Port Townsend	No	Yes
Mukilteo Light	Mukilteo	Yes	Yes
New Dungeness Light	Sequim	Yes	Yes	Beth Powis writes: "The lighthouse is open to the public, but it is a 5.5 mile one-way hike (11 miles roundtrip) from the parking lot to the light. Photographers with long lenses may be able to capture it after only hiking part way, or by boat. And you must be off the sand spit that leads to the lighthouse by dusk."
North Head Light	Ilwaco	Yes	Yes	Good access, and you can get in the tower, too. Can be populated with tourists. Best light end of day.
Patos Island Light	Eastsound	Yes	Yes
Point No Point Light	Hansville	Yes	Yes
Point Robinson Light	Maury Island, Vashon Island	Yes	Yes
Point Wilson Light	Port Townsend	Yes	Yes
Turn Point Light	Stuart Island, Roche Harbor	Yes	No
West Point Light	Seattle	Yes	Yes	Beth Powis emailed to say that the grounds are open only during warm-weather times of the year, approximately May to October.

See More American Lighthouse Guides

Photographer's Guide to American Pacific Coast Lighthouses

Alaska Lighthouses

California Lighthouses

Hawaii Lighthouses

Oregon Lighthouses

Washington Lighthouses

Photographer's Guide
to American Pacific Coast Lighthouses