RON HENGGELER

The view the Golden Gate and distant San Francisco from Hawk Hill in the Marin Headlands.

Point Lobos or Lands End on the northwestern edge of San Francisco,
seen from Hawk Hill, on the Conzelman Road going to Point Bonita and the lighthouse.

The one-way Conzelman Road running alongside the cliffs of the Golden Gate, with Point Bonita in the distance

Point Bonita and the Lighthouse, at the entrance of the Golden Gate leading into San Francisco Bay

The distant Point Bonita Lighthouse as seen from the Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands

The distant Point Bonita Lighthouse as seen from the Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands

The Point Bonita Lighthouse is reached by a half-mile trail that is steep in parts.
(left center is the tunnel entrance that passes through the rock to the other side)

In the late 19th century, Chinese laborers carved out this tunnel by hand.
These were the same laborers who had built the western end of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860’s.

Point Bonita Lighthouse, the third lighthouse on the West Coast, was completed in 1855.
Built upon a high ridge 300 feet above the water, there was soon complaints that thick fog frequently obscured the light beam.

A new site at a lower elevation was chosen nearby at the tip of Point Bonita.
Unstable rock made construction of a hand-hewn tunnel and trail to the site challenging.

Despite the effectiveness of these lighthouses,
over 300 boats ran aground near the Golden Gate during the gold rush years.

Point Bonita today is part of the largest urban national park in the United States,
the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

A secret jewel of the Bay Area, Point Bonita is still an active lighthouse.

The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light and the National Park Service provides access to visitors.

A view from the bridge near the lighthouse looking north towards Point Reyes over 30 miles away up the coast

A view from the bridge near the lighthouse looking north towards Point Reyes over 30 miles away up the coast

The Point Bonita Lighthouse is open to the public during visiting hours:
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 12:30pm to 3:30pm.

The view looking down to the water on the south side of the lighthouse
At low tide on calm days, kayakers pass through the natural archway in this stand of rock.

A three-room brick structure was built in 1877 to support the original lighthouse.

A three-room brick structure was built in 1877 to support the original lighthouse.

Inside the lighthouse looking up to the floor where the lens is located

The Point Bonita Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the United States that requires a suspension bridge for access.

On the way back to San Francisco,
I stopped at a turn-out and caught these tourists hamming it up for their friend’s camera.