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    Point Arena Light Station

    4.7 (117 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Joan W.

    I'd always seen pictures of this beautiful lighthouse and had wanted to go forever! It's located about an hour away from Mendocino and is essentially in the middle of nowhere. It's the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast at 115 ft. $5 to park and $5 to access the top of the lighthouse. There's a gift shop in another building which is large and has some exhibits. Not all lighthouses offer access to the top, so I appreciate that they have tours here every 20 minutes which is super convenient. I'd recommend the tour for the view which is breathtaking. That being said, this is more for people that are fairly in shape and can handle 145 stairs up a narrow staircase as well as not being afraid of heights. I'm slightly afraid of heights so walking on the outside perimeter was a little scary for me especially since it was windy but it's worth it for the view. If in the Mendocino/Fort Bragg area and only had time for one lighthouse and trying to decide between this one and Cabrillo, I'd say this one has a more wow factor and tours go up daily unlike Cabrillo. However, Cabrillo is better if you do not want to drive an hour from Mendocino and there are more hiking trails around to explore afterwards.

    Tina T.

    I had such a surprisingly wonderful experience here! The gift shop was so cool to look at. And I adored their story about their lighthouse cat Arena Mina, I wish I got to meet her because she's too cute! I learned a lot of stuff on this tour and it was fun being able to climb all the way up top of the lighthouse!

    Lighthouse
    Laura R.

    Even if you're not going to do the tour, it's still really cool to see this lighthouse close up. There's also a cute little store where you can buy souvenirs. Right outdoors, there a cool whale skeleton, if that's what you call it. Pretty cool, don't forget to check it out. It's right next to the store entrance. Also free parking and plenty of spaces.

    Amazing views from the top of the lighthouse.
    Kate M.

    Hidden gem! Everyone, especially Californians, should do this once in your lifetime! I think we got lucky with a clear beautiful day because those views from the top of the lighthouse were unmatched. Love the gift shop in the little history tour. Everyone who worked there was friendly and knowledgeable. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone. It far exceeded expectations I had for it.

    Point Arena Lighthouse
    Justin F.

    Stopped by Point Arena's famous lighthouse. There are 2 fees; one to enter the site and another to have a tour of the Lighthouse, both are $5 each. For $10 you get to learn the history of one of the tallest lighthouse in the west coast as well as experience great views from the, bottom, middle, and top of the lighthouse. 10/10 Experience for me.

    View of the coast
    Alex S.

    Absolutely beautiful lighthouse. We stopped in here just to walk through before heading into town, and it was absolutely gorgeous! There is lodging on site and they do tours of the lighthouse daily. They even have a local cat that roams around the area. The views from the coast are so pretty!

    David S.

    Such a cozy and thoughtful place! The hosts prepared firewood and kindling for the fireplace, and the house had everything we could possibly need. The views are absolutely breathtaking -- endless space, the sound of the ocean waves, and that fresh sea breeze. You can just sit for hours watching the sunset and listening to the surf. It's a wonderful place to relax and recharge -- everything you need for a truly cozy weeken

    James D.

    Point Arena Lighthouse is a must-see when you visit the Mendocino coast. Take the tour, climb the 115-foot tower by it's 145 steps. At the top, you'll have access to the most incredible 360-degree view on the California Coast !! My son, Yelper Elite Jason R's 1st job, at 15, was a lighthouse tower tour guide here. Needless to say, he came home exhausted every day but never tired of the excitement and views.

    Museum adjacent to point arena lighthouse, original lens for the lighthouse
    Maureen C.

    This area is secluded almost off the grid area with some vacant one level spaces to rent, this is ideal for the vacationers who want a break from any type of city noise or hustle and bustle in the daytime. Those spaces are nestled close to nature, near the cliff and the sounds of wind and waves and will have to be ok with having to drive a bit of a distance to civilization for provisions. They do have a museum area as well once you go through the gift shop. If you're inclined to go up the light house they also have tours available. My boyfriend and I did a museum tour and saw little glimpses of history and how the movie Forever Young used this site in the movie. You also get to view past light house keepers and their families who lived in the area. Interesting piece of history

    Point Arena Light Station, California
    Bruce K.

    Classic tall lighthouse along the Mendocino coastline in California. This is the second lighthouse on the location after the first was significantly damaged by an earthquake in 1906. This new lighthouse began operation in 1908 and stands 115 feet tall. The lighthouse is open to the public and features a gift shop and museum at the base. Of course, there's a fee to enter the parking area or you can park outside and walk some distance. If you do decide to drive, keep an eye out for the lighthouse cat, Mena. Gifts in the gift shop are way expensive. Magnets for $10 and postcards for $1. Yowza. [Review 17638 overall - 428 in California - 1159 of 2022.]

    Point Arena Light Station
    John D.

    Starry, Starry Light Lighthouse that's been in service since 1870 and is tied with the Pigeon Point Lighthouse as the tallest in CA at a whopping 115'. This current building is not the brick-and-mortar original, as that one was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and later rebuilt 18 months later in 1908 into what you see today. The Good: *It's a Lighthouse! *Great gift shop *Docents are incredibly friendly and helpful. *Make sure you say hi to Arena Mina the Lighthouse Cat! She has her own book and Instagram page, you know. https://amzn.to/3KWhkB0 *Spectacular views *If you really love lighthouses, then you can actually spend a night--or two!--here on the grounds. It's a little pricey but def worth every penny. The Meh: *$5/per entrance fee or $25/vehicle depending on which is cheaper. They are *NOT* state or government funded, so please don't be a cheapskate and park just outside and not pay. The Ugly: *Lots of fog in the area so there's always a chance of getting snookered on the views. TLDR: A must visit for Lighthouse fans and anyone staying near or visiting Pt Arena.

    Beautiful
    Norma P.

    9/27/2023 10:30am. Amazing views. Great little tour and cute gift shop. Had never been on a lighthouse tour. Cool to learn about the history. Great tour guide. Did I mention amazing views?!!

    Sandeep R.

    We stopped by while on our way back from bowling ball beach located in Point Arena and were delighted at the opportunity to take some great pictures of the Pacific. Unfortunately, the place closes at 5 pm and so we weren't able to get a lot of time to explore the place.

    Blanket of fog.. reason why we need these still maintained

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    6 years ago

    Gorgeous views up in the lighthouse and the informational tour inside the building was wonderful as well.

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    6 years ago

    Gorgeous lighthouse! You can go all the way to the top! Great views from up there. Beautiful grounds. Cute gift shop.

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    8 years ago

    Pretty cool history. You definitely get a workout climbing the stairs. Beautiful views. A great gift shop.

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    Ask the Community - Point Arena Light Station

    Review Highlights - Point Arena Light Station

    Point Arena Lighthouse is located about 130 miles north of San Francisco just off the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Wharf Master's Inn - Another beautiful day @The Wharf Master's

    Wharf Master's Inn

    (284 reviews)

    $$

    This was our second stay at Wharf Masters Inn, and it somehow managed to be even better than the…read morefirst! We spent two nights here celebrating my birthday and our anniversary, and it remains my absolute favorite place to stay on this side of the coast. Karen is such a wonderful host and truly makes you feel right at home from the moment you arrive. She prepared an incredible spread during our stay, including a delicious charcuterie board, flatbread, artichoke dip, and her famous "Slap Yo Mama" gumbo with fresh dipping bread. The name doesn't lie...it absolutely SLAPS! Hands down the best gumbo I've ever had. Room 120 was spacious and comfortable, with an amazingly comfortable bed and the perfect ocean view!! There is nothing better than lying in bed, watching the ocean, and listening to the waves. I also enjoyed a bubble bath with the jetted tub both days, which made for the perfect relaxing getaway. The balcony is nice with tall chairs and a table to enjoy a glass of wine (or three lol) in the evenings. :) If you're looking for a peaceful coastal retreat with exceptional hospitality, beautiful ocean views, and thoughtful touches throughout your stay, I can't recommend Wharf Masters Inn enough. We already can't wait to come back!!

    Sad that I can't check six stars. This place is amazing, tucked away in Point Arena Cove. You have…read moreto get one of the recently renovated rooms with a spectacular view of the Pacific. The deck with the fire pit is perfect for an evening watching the sunset and enjoying a bottle of wine. Staff are super friendly and helpful. A number of restaurants and cafes at the bottom of the hill complement the hotel perfectly. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a picturesque getaway.

    B Bryan Preserve - Blesbok antelope

    B Bryan Preserve

    (386 reviews)

    The staff was great. The facilities (not that I'm an expert) seem spacious and clean. The staff…read moreobviously care about the animals and are knowledgeable. They spent a lot of time explaining all the health care the animals have available. The tour was definitely worth the price. I read some of the negative reviews. These seem to be from a few years ago, so they are listening and correcting. The ONE thing that irritated me, my wife and others (judging from comments at the time): They start showing a documentary before the tour (show up at least 30 minutes early). They don't finish, but you can watch it all on streaming. The irritating part is they are preparing for the tour during the documentary. Lots of us would have liked to hear, but the manager and employees were all talking (or shouting) preparations. Maybe they could do this BEFORE the documentary or OUTSIDE?? But it is definitely five stars, even with this little glitch. Check it out and help the animals!

    B. Bryan Preserve is a wonderful organization dedicated to protecting African wildlife. My partner…read moreand I did the self-guided driving tour in our own car, which was a great way to see some of the species up close. We went on a Saturday morning in February, so the experience was peaceful, quiet, and calm. While not a whole lot of animals were out during our slot (just doing their animal thing!), we were still able to see a nice variety of species. The absolute highlight was getting to feed the giraffes at the end of the tour! They are such majestic creatures, and it was a fun, interactive activity. We finished the tour fairly quickly since many animals weren't right up against the fence that day, but it's a fantastic activity to add to your itinerary if you're spending a full day exploring the coast. You can truly tell that the caretakers value and care deeply for these animals. It's a great experience that supports an excellent cause!

    Irish Beach Rental Agency - View from deck

    Irish Beach Rental Agency

    (19 reviews)

    We've been coming to Irish Beach for many years now. The house we used to rent is no longer…read moreavailable by the owners. We gambled on another, Ocean View. Beach and Views: outstanding! We come here for the private access down to the beach and normally only see 1-2 others on this stretch of beach. It is quintessential northwest coast! Very dog friendly and a lot of sandy areas and large logs for the dogs to climb and explore or for you to sit on and watch the waves. An occasional horse riding group will pass by but they also leave poop on the beach to which our dogs alerted us to! Whales (seasonal), sea lions, and many species of birds all for the watching. Rental staff: friendly and courteous. Not much interaction but we're very nice as usual. House: the house windows towards the ocean is stunning. The house is in need to attention. Furniture is as comfortable as a board on a concrete surface and about as low. If you have a bad back or hip, don't sit for your entire stay. The gas fireplace never worked. The heater thermostat battery went out and we replaced using our flashlight batteries. To turn it on, you have to remove the front plate and switch it on, but those instructions are not in the house. The window blinds in the kitchen do not work at all. The flashing and weatherproofing around the door is gone so there's an 1-1.25 inch gap at the bottom. Key doesn't always work. It took us several minutes each time to get the door open. There were no dish towels in the kitchen. The kitchen pots and pans are old and should be replaced. The flooring is mostly carpet which always gives me the creeps but that's my own issue. One bed is hard and the other is too soft. The hot tub was lovely and worked well. The kitchen does have everything you need with respect to cooking. The refrigerator was nice and clean. Actually, the entire house was very clean!! They allowed dogs so we were able to bring ours. The deck was nice but needs sanding and sealing. Two nice chairs were there but that was it. There's so much potential in this home and I feel the owners are just missing the mark.

    My dear sweet Yelpers, I'm back! Freshly tousled from my road trip down the SoCal coast, and with…read moremany adventures to tell you all about. But alas, I have been remiss and failed to Yelp about my previous adventures up the NorCal coast. Why? Because I was much too lazy to turn my computer on, and reviewing on the Evo kinda sucks sometimes with the ridiculous keyboard "quick-type". Not so quick, IMO. But I digress. A little more than 2 weeks ago, I made an overnight trip up to the lovely Mendocino county. Twas my first venture up in these parts, and I was excited. Driving 3.5 hours to and from each way only to spend not quite a whole day there did not impede my excitement to finally view this part of our state's landscape. My sister and her hubby and friends rented out a house for the week, and I came up on their last night there to see what could be seen. They come up here at least once a year, as his family are huge Mendocino vacation fans. So he continued the tradition with her, and this time they invited us with. I took the windy path in to Manchester, up and down snakebacks juxtaposed against the setting sun. Follow my brother-in-law's advice and don't turn left at Boonville. Just continue on the main highway till you reach where it poops out on 1, then head south on 1 to Manchester and Irish Beach. Unless, that is, you like adventuring snakebacks on crack and your car engine's sturdy enough to handle the insane climbs and dips around mountainsides. If so, please do. But don't do it in the dark. By the time I reached the cabin, the sun had just plumetted beneath the ocean waves, and I was tired from all the driving through horrendous North Bay traffic, plus a full and exhausting day at work. I wasn't going to be seeing much before twilight hit. So instead, I had me some oven roasted turkey and watched the guys play this tittie board game. Twilight something. I can't remember the exact name, only that the board pieces looked like nipples and pasties. I crashed on the couch. The next morning, Oscar woke me up super early and we were out the door at 6:30 to see what we could see before we had to leave again. We were out hiking for a good hour and a half. Despite the cabin being just average for a rental, the surrounding landscape of Irish Beach is amazing. High wind-blown cliffs with sheer drops down to the beach some fifty feet below your feet (it's not easy getting down to the beach; you have to take a special route), wildlife galore, breathtaking Pomo Lake with an early morning mist hanging over the lazily lapping waters... I can't think of a better way to start your morning off right along the coast. Tomorrow morning, you'll thank me.

    Point Arena Light Station - landmarks - Updated July 2026

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