Ballast Point Light, Integral lighthouse at San Diego Bay, California, US.
Ballast Point Light is a historic lighthouse at the entrance to San Diego Bay, California, originally built as a square wooden tower attached to the keeper's house. The original structure no longer stands, and an automated light on a water piling now marks the same position at the channel entrance.
The lighthouse was built in 1890 to guide ships through the bay's entrance, replacing earlier, less reliable navigation markers. It was deactivated in 1960 when modern navigation technology made the original structure unnecessary.
The name Ballast Point comes from the practice of ships dropping stone ballast in the shallow waters nearby before entering the harbor. Today the site sits within a naval base, so most people see it from the water or from a distance, aboard a ferry or a boat tour.
The site sits on an active naval base and is generally not open to the public for a direct visit. The best way to see it is from the water, such as on a bay cruise or the Coronado ferry.
The original fifth-order Fresnel lens from the tower is on display at the Cabrillo National Monument museum on nearby Point Loma. It is one of the few cases where the optical device from a regional lighthouse is accessible for visitors to see up close.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
