Point Bonita Lighthouse, Lighthouse in Marin County, California, US

Point Bonita Lighthouse stands on a narrow rocky point 124 feet above the water at the tip of the Marin Headlands. The current tower, in use since 1877, has a white base with two green doors and a rusted metal tower topped by a black domed roof, a glass lantern room and a metal railing. Visitors reach it through a 118-foot tunnel hand-carved through hard rock and across a suspension bridge.

The original 1855 brick tower stood 306 feet above sea level, too high for the West Coast's dense fog, so it was moved to its present site at 124 feet in 1877. A 118-foot tunnel was hand-carved through hard rock to reach the new location. The lighthouse had the first fog signal on the West Coast, a 24-pounder siege gun.

The lighthouse was the last staffed on the California coast; its light and fog signal have been automated since 1981 and are maintained by the United States Coast Guard. Visitors reach it through a hand-carved tunnel and over a suspension bridge, the only such access for a U.S. lighthouse.

The lighthouse is open Sundays and Mondays from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., and on ranger-led sunset hikes that require sign-up. The 0.5-mile trail leads through a hand-carved tunnel and over a suspension bridge. The bridge closed indefinitely for repairs on August 19, 2024, so the lighthouse itself is not reachable.

The 1954 suspension bridge was replaced in 2012 by a span of tropical hardwood with steel cables, costing a little over $1 million. Point Bonita is the only lighthouse in the United States reachable only by a suspension bridge. The bridge closed again in August 2024 for inspection.