Point Montara Lighthouse is the only lighthouse building in the world known to be located on two oceans.
Situated on a scenic point of land south of Half Moon Bay, it’s there because of an offshore reef known as the Colorado Reef, named for a near-tragic shipwreck that happened there.
What you can do at the Point Montara lighthouse
Observing the beautiful view and taking pictures are the only things to do at Point Montara. You cannot enter the lighthouse for security reasons, but you can visit the gardens and walk around the tower. The hostel asks visitors to first check in at the office.
While in the area, you can explore the tide pools at the Fitzgerald Marin Preserve. A stop at the lighthouse is a great addition to a day or weekend in Half Moon Bay. If you travel a little further south, you can also see the Pigeon Point Lighthouse north of Santa Cruz, which is also a hostel.
How to spend the night at the Point Montara lighthouse
The Guardians’ Rooms at the Point Montara Lighthouse are now a lodge. They have shared and private rooms in the old Coast Guard quarters and in the old fog signal building.
You may think of hostels as places where backpackers crash, a bit badass, but online reviewers give it high marks. They like the views and say the beds are comfortable and the place is clean.
You can get rates, get more information about how the hostel works, and make reservations on the Point Montara Hostel website.
The fascinating history of the Point Montara lighthouse
After numerous shipwrecks along the San Mateo coast in the mid-1800s, a foghorn was installed at Point Montara, near Moss Beach. It first rang in 1872; The horn paved the way for ships entering the San Francisco Bay from the south. The steam whistle emitted a five-second blast that sailors could hear up to 15 miles away. It took up to 200,000 pounds of coal per year to ignite his boiler, depending on how nebulous it was.
The rooms of a Victorian Gothic doorman were built at the same time as the fog signal.
That loud signal was not enough to keep the ships safe and more ships crashed onto the reef. In 1881, a second fog signal was added, along with a barn and stable.
In 1900, a low beam tower was erected to work in conjunction with the foghorn to ensure an even safer approach to the Golden Gate. It was a simple thing, no more than a flashlight with red lenses hung from a pole, but sailors could see it from 12 miles away. A new fog signal building was constructed. In 1902, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed, but the structure will remain only a skeleton. His signature was 2.5 seconds on, 2.5 seconds off.
In 1928, the current cast iron tower replaced the skeleton structure. The 30-foot-tall tower is much older than that, built in 1881 and first erected in Wellfleet Harbor on Cape Cod. After being decommissioned in 1922, it took a 3,000-mile journey to Djerba Island. Good in San Francisco Bay, where it stayed until a Montara Point was installed.
During World War II, the Point Montara light station provided accommodation for the military, including the K-9 Corps, who patrolled the beaches with their dogs. The Coast Guard took over after the war. Three keepers worked there before being automated in 1970. The original Fresnel lens was moved to the San Mateo County Historical Society Museum, where it is still on display.
After that, the building fell into disrepair. An association of organizations, including Hostelling International, worked to renovate the facilities. Today, the buildings are used as a hostel.
Visit point Faro de Montara
The outbuildings of the lighthouse and the turn of the century are well preserved and restored. You can walk through the gardens, but there are no tours inside.
How to get to the Point Montara lighthouse
Website of Point Montara Hostel
The Point Montara Lighthouse is located on CA Highway 1, 25 miles south of San Francisco, between Montara and Moss Beach.
More California lighthouses
The Pigeon Point Lighthouse is south of Point Montara, near Santa Cruz. It is one of the most picturesque lighthouses on the California coast.
If you’re a lighthouse geek, you’ll enjoy our Guide to Visiting California Lighthouses.
