Piedras Blancas Light Station is located at Point Piedras Blancas, about west by northwest of

San Simeon, California San Simeon (Spanish: ''San Simeón'', meaning "St. Simon") is a village and Census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Its position along State Route 1 is about halfway between Los Angeles ...

. It was added to the

California Coastal National Monument The California Coastal National Monument is located along the entire coastline of the U.S. state of California. This monument ensures the protection of all islets, reefs and rock outcroppings along the coast of California within of shore along ...

in 2017.

History and management

The first-order Fresnel lens at Piedras Blancas was first illuminated on February 15, 1875. The Piedras Blancas lighthouse was originally high to the top of the ventilator ball, but earthquakes damaged the structure over the years. On December 31, 1948, final damage from an earthquake centered off the point led to the decision to remove the upper three floors: the fourth landing, watch room, and lantern. Missing the ornate upper floors, the truncated lighthouse now stands about tall. The lens was moved and is on display in the nearby community of

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period, a ...

. A sound signal was added in 1906. In 1939, management was transferred from the United States Lighthouse Service to the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

. In 1975, the light was automated, the sound signal removed, and the light station was unmanned. A group of biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received permission to establish a biological research station in 1977. In 2001, the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

(BLM) assumed management of the site and was tasked to offer structured public access, allow site-specific research to continue, and restore the light station to its period of greatest historical significance (1875 to 1940). The Piedras Blancas Light Station Association is a non-profit partner of the BLM, helping to raise funds for restoration and maintenance. The lighthouse continues to serve as an aid to navigation. A Vega

VRB-25 The VRB-25 is a lighthouse optical system designed and built by Vega Industries Ltd. in Porirua, New Zealand. It was originally designed in 1993-95 with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard to meet USCG requirements for a robust m ...

produces a flash every 10 seconds. The light station is managed as a historic park and wildlife sanctuary. The Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station was designated as an Outstanding Natural Area in 2008.

Access

Piedras_Blancas_Light_Station_Water_Tower

Access to the site is by guided tours, available every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (except federal holidays) year round. From June 15 through August 31, tours are offered Mondays through Saturdays (except federal holidays). The fee is $10 for adults; $5 for ages 6 to 17; and free for ages 5 and under. Special tours for parties of 10 or more may be arranged. The tour lasts two hours and includes the historic lighthouse and support buildings, wildlife viewing, and spectacular scenery along an easy half-mile interpretive trail.

Elephant seal rookery and marine protected areas

The largest elephant seal rookery on the West Coast is located about a mile south of the lighthouse along California Highway One. A few animals began using the rookery in 1990. A large parking area and boardwalk offer easy access to view the elephant seals. Docents from Friends of the Elephant Seal provide insight as to what the visitor is viewing. Open year-round.

Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve (SMR) and Piedras Blancas State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) are two adjoining marine protected areas that lie offshore of San Luis Obispo County on California’s central coast. The combined area of th ...

are marine protected areas offshore from Piedras Blancas Light Station. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

In popular culture

The 1959 movie ''

The Monster of Piedras Blancas ''The Monster of Piedras Blancas'' is a 1959 independently made American black-and-white science fiction-monster film. It was produced by Jack Kevan, written and directed by Irvin Berwick, and stars Jeanne Carmen, Les Tremayne, John Harmon, Don ...

'' was not shot at Point Piedras Blancas. The lighthouse locations in the movie were filmed at the

Point Conception Light Point Conception Light is a lighthouse in Santa Barbara County, California, on Point Conception at the west entrance of the Santa Barbara Channel, California. One of the earliest California lighthouses, it is listed on the National Register of His ...

lighthouse near Lompoc, and the town is the seaside town of Cayucos, about 30 miles south of Piedras Blancas.

Gallery

File:Piedras_Blancas_Light_Station,_2014.jpg, Piedras Blancas, 2014. File:Piedras Blancas Public Tours.jpeg, Tours of the Piedras Blancas Light Station are offered regularly. File:Native Plants at Piedras Blancas.jpeg, Native plants ablaze with color in early summer. File:PB Light Station from the beach.JPG, Piedras Blancas Light Station viewed from the beach below, May 2020 File:Sea Otter at Piedras Blancas.jpeg, Sea otters rest and feed in the waters surrounding Piedras Blancas.

References

External links

Piedras Blancas Light Station Outstanding Natural Area
Bureau of Land Management
Piedras Blancas Light Station Association
{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1875 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in San Luis Obispo County, California Buildings and structures in San Luis Obispo County, California Protected areas of San Luis Obispo County, California Bureau of Land Management areas in California Gothic Revival architecture in California Neoclassical architecture in California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California