Point Arena Lighthouse

Further up the coast was our next stop on our summer road trip...

It would be another lighthouse...

But what made this particular lighthouse stand out above the rest was that...

At 115 feet high, the Point Arena Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast that you can ascend to the very top.  At other lighthouses, you can only go up so far. I can tell you that the views at the top were quite amazing.

Before parking, we stopped before the entrance to take a few photos and admired the crashing waves.





There is a small museum where you pay your fee for the lighthouse tour. There is a spiral staircase inside (no elevator obviously) which gives you a good workout as you climb up.





It was a really pretty day with sunny and blue skies. Since this was right on the coast, it was also a bit windy...

The Mel Gibson movie "Forever Young" (1992) was filmed here at the lighthouse.  Wow, look at how young he looks.

The amazing old lighthouse lens which could be seen from afar.



And here we are at the top, treated to spectacular views of the coast.

Looking up at the steps prior...

Sorry for the reflection, but I still wanted to capture the westward views.

Looking South. You can see the cottages that people can actually rent out and stay overnight.



The eastern view.

More of the southern view...



At the gift shop, TC was excited to see one of those penny smashing machines where you put in a penny and two quarters. She has a small collection from our travels. She was ready with her spare change so she could add another memento to her collection.

Our snacks from the Gualala Surf Market - chips, fruit, and coffee cake bites.

TC's salad...

Fresh figs...

Goodbye Point Arena Lighthouse!

Who else has been to the Point Arena Lighthouse?
Josh from California Through My Lens has a nice post from last summer (plus amazing photos!) -

Here's a unique view from someone who was in an ultra light plane:

This was such a nice stop on our way up the coast.  We really enjoy seeing lighthouses and can only imagine the lonely life the lighthouse keepers would lead back in the old days.  Seeing the rugged beauty of the California coast was quite cool.

Point Arena Lighthouse
45500 Lighthouse Road
Point Arena, CA 95468
(877)725-4448

www.pointarenalighthouse.com

Price is $7.50 per adult; $1 for children ages 12 and below (Damn, TC had to pay full price, ha ha)

Northward we would keep going to a particular forest which was miniature in terms of size...