Cape Scott Lighthouse, Maritime navigation beacon at northwestern Vancouver Island, Canada
Cape Scott Lighthouse is a white steel skeletal tower standing at the far northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, supported by concrete pillars. The structure sits near a sandy neck passage and continues to serve maritime navigation.
The original lighthouse went up in 1927 as a wooden mast with red lanterns, and was replaced by a permanent steel structure in 1959. This upgrade made the facility more reliable for the increasing maritime traffic in the region.
The area holds deep connections to the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and Quatsino First Nations, whose presence in these territories extends back many generations. Visitors walking here are surrounded by the ancestral lands of these communities.
The Canadian Coast Guard operates this active lighthouse with resident keepers and has used solar panels instead of diesel generators since 2019. The location is remote and not heavily trafficked, so visitors should expect solitude and self-sufficiency when visiting.
During World War II, the site housed a radar installation with roughly 50 personnel monitoring for potential Japanese aircraft movements. This military past is hardly visible today, but the location's role in regional defense remains part of its story.
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