Point Sur Lighthouse Hides in Plain Sight

Perched on the backside of a 361-foot tall volcanic rock between the Pacific Ocean and a sea of private pastureland, the Point Sur Lighthouse is barely visible from California Highway 1. Most visitors to the Big Sur coastline cruise past without a glance.

We drove down from our hotel in Monterey and lined up on the shoulder of Highway 1 for the 10 a.m. tour on a sunny Saturday in April. As the gate swung open, about a dozen cars crept past grazing cows to a dusty staging area at the base of the rock. Our windswept, three-hour tour began with a trudge up a narrow road to the top of the rock. Our cap-clip accessorized docents admonished us to hang onto our hats. Access has never been easy.

Construction

Point Sur emerged as a navigation issue with the onset of the California gold rush in 1849. The United States Lighthouse service began lobbying for funding for a light station at Point Sur in 1874. The light finally turned on in 1889 after more than a decade of wrangling over funding and three years of construction.

Moving building materials to the rock across the sandy soil at the base involved a railway track and road of wooden planks. Laborers then used a tramway and 395-step staircase to move supplies to the top. They graded the narrow peak to make room for lightkeeper homes plus a barn and workshops. A pipeline and pump moved water from the sand flat below.

Life at Point Sur

A lightkeeper, three assistants and their families lived at the station. Each family tended their own garden and shared a horse and wagon to haul light supplies overland from Monterey. Firewood, coal, feed and other bulk items arrived three times a year aboard a lighthouse tender. Each delivery required attaching nets laden with cargo to a small rail car and hauling the load to the top of the rock using a steam-powered winch.

Life at Point Sur was lonely and spartan. Until 1927, when a school teacher was assigned to the station, the keeper children would live with relatives during the school year or with local families during the week so they could attend class.

The Light Station Today

Today, the light is fully automated and the tower, support buildings and grounds stand as a well-tended historic artifact. A group of dedicated and well-informed docents lead the three-hour tours. Historians have dressed the beautifully restored buildings with period furnishings, goods and equipment.

What hasn’t changed? The views are breathtaking and the relentless wind till blows. Despite docent cautions, one tourist lost his cap while walking the circular catwalk atop the lighthouse. The wayward chapeau remained visible but out of reach on a rooftop as the tour moved on. Lesson learned, the hatless visitor purchased a cap clip at the gift shop before heading home.

Point Pinos Lighthouse

Seeking a more civilized lighthouse visit while visiting the Monterey Peninsula? Check out the Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove. It offers regular hours, plenty of parking and restrooms. Stay as long as you’d like. We enjoyed lunch at the golf course clubhouse across the street.