Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trip Description
From the parking area, you'll climb a steep paved road and two stairways to
Point
Sur.
Count on plenty of rest stops along the way as your guide shares dramatic tales
of life at this remote lighthouse.
Wildlife abounds on and around the point. Migrating gray whales pass within
sight of shore. Pelicans fly by in formation, while cormorants vanish underwater and
oystercatchers clamber across the rocks. Sea otters and seals swim beyond the surf
line, feasting amid the kelp forests below. Also keep watch for golden eagles, pereg-
rine falcons, and California condors, which soar overhead in search of prey or carrion.
Point Sur is a complete turn-of-the-century
lighthouse.
Your guide will lead you
up the circular stairwell for a look at the lens and to stroll the catwalk. Weighing 4330
pounds, the first-order Fresnel lens is nearly 8 feet high and more than 6 feet in dia-
meter. Its 16 panels of prisms bend light into a single focused beam visible for 23
nautical miles. Pause at this exposed point, taking in the fog, wind, sun, salt spray,
and other raw elements.
