Piedras Blancas Light

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**Piedras Blancas Light**
Location:	San Simeon bay, California
Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS)	35°39′56″N, 121°17′04″W
Foundation:	Masonry
Construction:	Brick
Year first lit:	1879 (current tower)
Year first constructed:	1875
Automated:	1975
Tower shape:	Conical with flat top
Markings/Pattern:	white
Height:	74 ft, 142 feet above sea level
Original lens:	First order bivalve Fresnel lens
Current lens:	VRB-25
Range:	21 nm
Characteristic:	Flashing white 10s

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse is a lighthouse in California, United States, on the northern entrance to San Simeon bay, California. It is an active private aid to navigation, and is maintained by the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

[edit] History

The first-order Fresnel lens on the 115-foot Piedras Blancas Lighthouse was first illuminated in 1875. On December 31, 1948 and January 1, 1949 three magnitude 3.8 to 4.6 earthquakes centered 6 miles off the point damaged the lantern room. The lens, lantern room, ornate railing, and the upper portion of the tower were removed, reducing the height of the tower to 74 feet. The lens in now on display in the nearby community of Cambria The United States Coast Guard staffed the lighthouse until 1975, when the tower was automated and the station unmanned.

[edit] Tours

Tours are available on the third Saturday of each month at 10 am and 1 pm. The tours originate at the Hearst Castle State Historic Monument Visitor Center, 750 Hearst Castle Road in San Simeon, California. Visitors are bussed to the Light Station from the Hearst Castle Visitor Center.

Reservations can be made by contacting the National Geographic Theater, located at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm at (805) 927-6811. The price is $15.00 for Adults, age 16 and over. Children (under the age of 16) are free. In the event of "no shows" on the day of the tours, vacant seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis.