Point San Luis Lighthouse - Avila Beach, California

Founded in 1890, the Point San Luis Light Station has served as the beacon over San Luis Bay for 130 years. From it induction under the United States Lighthouse Board, then the Lighthouse Service, and lastly as being under the auspice of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Point SLO Light Station has had a varied and exciting past.

The two-story main keeper's structure is considered Victorian in its design. The architect is believed to be Paul J. Pelz who designed many lighthouses in the late 1800's. There were two other identical lighthouses in California, one at Table Bluff near Humboldt and the other at Ballast Point near San Diego. Of the three, Point SLO is the only remaining lighthouse of its design.

The Coast Guard still maintains a light at the station, an active Vega VLB 44-2.5 light, which blinks one second on/four seconds off, every night, and is visible up to 17 miles away. The rest of the station is operated as a historic site open to visitors who can reach the property by riding on our van, by hiking with the Pecho Coast Trail Guides, or by kayaking to Whalers Beach. The park is open from sunup to sundown.

In 1991 the Point San Luis Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places #91001093, and in 1995 the Lighthouse Keepers was founded, a 501(c)3 non-profit. The keepers look after the maintenance of the station, and oversee achieving the goal of the site--to share its valuable history with visitors and locals alike. The lighthouse is able to operate as a destination historic site thanks to the participation of PG&E and the Port San Luis Harbor Commission.

Come visit the lighthouse and experience what it was like to live 130 years ago!