Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the
second foggiest place on the North American continent. Weeks of fog,
especially during the summer months, frequently reduce visibility to
hundreds of feet. The Point Reyes Headlands, which jut 10 miles out to
sea, pose a threat to each ship entering or leaving San Francisco Bay.
The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse warned mariners of danger for more
than a hundred years.
The Point Reyes Lighthouse, built in 1870, was retired from service in 1975 when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light. They then transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service, which has taken on the job of preserving this fine specimen of our heritage.
All lighthouses in the United States are now automated because it is cheaper to let electronics do the work. Many decommissioned lighthouses were transformed into restaurants, inns or museums. The lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore is now a museum piece, where the era of the lightkeepers' lives, the craftsmanship and the beauty of the lighthouse are actively preserved.