Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trip 9
POINT SUR STATE HISTORIC PARK
LENGTH AND TYPE: 0.4-mile out-and-back
RATING: Easy
TRAIL CONDITION: Well maintained, good for kids
HIGHLIGHTS: Experience life at a remote lighthouse perched on the edge of the Pacific.
TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD:
At the park, meet at the farm gate along the west side of
Highway 1 at the scheduled tour time. Arrive early, as tours occasionally fill up and re-
servations are not accepted. A docent or state park ranger will open the gate and direct
you where to park. You'll drive less than a mile along a narrow paved road to the base
of massive Point Sur. From here the three-hour tour begins.
TRIP SUMMARY:
Point Sur Lighthouse is a lonely sentinel perched atop a massive rock
formation at the mouth of the Little Sur River. The beacon reminds visitors of a by-
gone era, when mariners sailed blindly along the fogbound coast, often unaware of
their proximity to the rocky shoreline. Swept by strong winds and big Pacific swells,
the surroundings here remain largely unchanged.
Staffed from 1889 until 1974, Point Sur was home to families who stoically en-
dured long months of isolation and solitude. Today, the lighthouse is automated and
only traces of the keepers' stories remain in empty buildings, workshops, and barns.
