Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park

The Point Cabrillo Light Station was built to guide ships at sea around the treacherous rocks along the northern California coast. Just north of the point lies the 1850 wreck of the clipper ship Frolic. The grounding of the ship brought the attention of settlers to the area, who noted the nearby stands of Redwoods that spurred more development in the area.

Some of that Redwood was used to construct the lighthouse and the housing of the lightkeeper and his assistants. The Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association manages the park for the state and has spearheaded an impressive effort to restore and maintain the buildings here in their Victorian splendor. Visitors can even stay overnight in some of the buildings that have been set up as cottages.

The park consists of almost 300 acres along the coast and a number of trails transect the property. The only parking in the park for day visitors is about a half mile from the lighthouse itself. The paved Lighthouse Road provides a straight shot down to the lightkeepers' housing a short distance from the lighthouse itself. That means anyone wanting to take a gander at the lighthouse has to plan on at least a mile of hiking, which probably tends to weed out some of less inclined.