Piedras Blancas Light Station

On February 15, 1875, the light first burned at Point Piedras Blancas. Earthquakes took the top three floors — watch room, lantern, and all — and on December 31, 1948 the decision was made to remove them, leaving the tower at roughly 70 feet instead of its original 100. The first-order Fresnel lens came down too; it now sits in Cambria. The Bureau of Land Management runs the 19-acre site today, with guided two-hour tours year-round — the only way in.