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The Golden Gate National Recreation Area protects over 80 thousand acres in Northern California. For this trip, we decided to explore the Marin Headlands section. The Marin Headlands is a peninsula just north of San Francisco on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Point Bonita Lighthouse sits at the entrance to San Francisco Bay in the Marin Headlands. Point Bonita was the third lighthouse built on the West Coast (in 1855) and was the last manned lighthouse on the California coast. It is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate NRA (The coast guard maintains the still-active signal) and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
We hiked down the steep half mile trail through a tunnel in a hill and across a suspension bridge to the lighthouse. There was a ranger inside whose grandmother had lived in this lighthouse as a child and he told us some her stories as we perused the museum displays.
Originally, Point Bonita was up higher on the cliffs and the light was often obscured by fog. The current lighthouse was built at a lower location in 1877. It is on a bluff 124 feet above sea level and a shipwreck from the Gold Rush years is just offshore from it.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area posts:
- Lands End
- Marin Headlands
- Fort Point
- Point Bonita Light
Location: 948 Fort Barry, Sausalito, CA 94965
Designation: National Recreation Area, NRHP
Date designation declared: 10/27/1972
Date of my visit: August 12, 2012
Pingback: Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Point Bonita Lighthouse — National Parks USA – Nomad Advocate
That is so cool that the Ranger gets to work where his Grandmother used to live! Thanks for the great post!
It is! This was 8 years ago, so not sure if he is still there. Thanks for reading and commenting 😊
Beautiful lighthouse and story. We’ll have to add Point Bonita to our CA to do list.
Thanks 😊
Wonderful photos of Point Bonita Lighthouse, T. I live in the Bay Area and am a huge fan of the GG National Recreation Area; we’re so lucky the Headlands and other parts of the GG Rec. Area have been preserved.
Thanks 😊. I try to hit a different site in the recreation area every time I visit my family in the Bay Area. Still haven’t seen them all
Reblogged this on ravenhawks' magazine.
❤️ Northern Cali coast!
👍🏻👍🏻
A favorite spot! Great shots, T. I spend a lot of time in the GGNRA. 👍🏻
Thanks! You are lucky to live near such a wonderful park 👍🏻