Desert Lighthouse, Art installation lighthouse in Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, US

The Desert Lighthouse is an art installation in the Mojave Desert that rises about 50 feet tall with an octagonal steel frame covered in translucent polycarbonate panels. These panels allow light to penetrate across the barren landscape, creating an unusual beacon in one of the driest regions.

Artist Daniel Hawkins built this working installation in 2017 near Hinkley, California, after spending about a decade planning and preparing. The project overcame multiple construction challenges to become a functioning beacon in this remote desert location.

Visitors have left makeshift memorials near the base since late 2018, in memory of loved ones including Bruce Mace and Alicia Maria Hilton; the memorials grew and were expanded in late 2019. Art critic Doug Harvey called the work a populist icon among survivalist locals. Creator Daniel Hawkins is known as "The Keeper of the Hinkley Light".

The site sits in a remote desert area and requires preparation for extreme heat and limited shade. Visitors should bring plenty of water and sun protection, and research conditions before traveling to this isolated location.

The lighthouse is a full-size, functioning beacon, not a sculpture with a lamp: it was unveiled on 1 July 2017 during an evening "Launch Event" and still operates. Its creator, Daniel Hawkins, is known as "The Keeper of the Hinkley Light", and a documentary about him and the tower was due in 2023.