Pigeon Point Light Station stands on a rocky headland on Highway 1, five miles south of Pescadero. The white masonry tower, 115 feet tall, was built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast and is tied with Point Arena as the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast. It is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation.
The headland and the lighthouse took their name from the ship Carrier Pigeon, wrecked there in 1853. The site is now Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a California Historical Landmark.
A 2022 county study found it vulnerable to erosion from sea-level rise, and renovations funded by the state legislature in 2021 have been under way.
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