Point Pinos Lighthouse
Point Pinos Lighthouse is a charming museum sitting on a golf ground. Despite the golfers tearing through the landscape I have often seen deer grazing nearby, curiously observing people in pink sweaters relentlessly hitting tiny balls with sticks. Point Pinos is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the west coast, blasting the night sky with a beacon of light since 1855. A picturesque location and conspicuously absent tourist crowds should put this lighthouse on your list of places to visit, even if you are not a lighthouse enthusiast.
How to get there
From Ocean View Boulevard take Asilomar Avenue and drive about ¼ mile to the entrance parking lot.
How to photograph Point Pinos Lighthouse
Lamp
Take the tour and go inside the lighthouse. It is very cheap and very interesting . Your rewarded is going to be a great insight into the life of the lighthouse operators of the past and into lighthouse operations. You can take detailed photographs of equipment and the staged living and working quarters as well as the fabulous fresnel lens. Walk around the entire lighthouse and look for interesting angles, incorporating trees and the sky. Depending on the season and the prevailing weather conditions the best position for photography will change.
Best Time of the Day and Best Season
The grounds close before dusk. Any time of the day will be good but the time before dusk is best when the golden light of the setting sun bathes the lighthouse. On overcast days it does not pay off to wait for clearer weather as the haze usually gets denser towards the afternoon.
Time required
You require about one hour to tour the grounds and the lighthouse interior.
Equipment
- A normal lens on your camera is all you will need for the lighthouse
- A telephoto lens in case deer are present
GPS position
36°38’0.32″N 121°56’2.01″W
Fees
The operators suggest a donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children to ensure the upkeep.
Close Locations
- Pacific Grove
- 17-mile drive with the famous Lone Cypress Tree
- Monarch Grove Sanctuary
- Cannery Row and Monterey Aquarium
- Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf
- Carmel
- Carmel Mission
- Point Lobos State Reserve with its beautiful turquoise pools, rugged cliffs and tidepools
- Moss Landing Sea Otters
- Capitola
Useful Resources
Lighthouse Museum Page Subscribe to my feed and be the first to learn about the secret places to photograph.
