Point Bonita Lighthouse
add photosFrom the NPS website:
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 lighthouse and the National Park Service provides access to visitors.
Point Bonita Lighthouse is reached by a halfmile trail that is steep in parts. Discover Point Bonita’s wild landscape, geology and fascinating history. The tunnel halfway to the lighthouse is open only during visiting hours: Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
4 Reviews for Point Bonita Lighthouse
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'10, '11
1 family found this helpful
"A great place to see the bay from a new perspective"
We took our kids to the Marin Headlands per my request on Mother's Day and sort of stumbled upon Point Bonita. It is a short (but steep in some spots) walk down to the lighthouse with absolutely breathtaking views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. If the lighhouse is open for tours that day you can go through the tunnel and then wait in line to go across the little bridge to the lighthouse. They only allow a couple people across the bridge at a time because it is so old. Kinda creepy but lots of fun. As with most lighthouses, it is now electronically operated and no longer staffed by a permanent resident. Its amazing to think someone used to live out there. The view and the experience are unique and defintely worth adding to your day if you are in the area.
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"Great hike for all ages!"
We love the hike to Point Bonita - our 4-year old can make it most of the way on his own (and some of the way on his papa's shoulders). The hike is easy enough for grandparents and mamas with babies on their backs, too. Best of all, it offers spectacular views of the ocean, the Bay and the city. A tunnel and bridge add to the excitement. And it's a great opportunity to see seals, sea lions, cormorants, sea gulls and much more. Make it a day w/ a picnic lunch. Warning: if you can avoid peak times, you'll also avoid long waits to view the lighthouse.
1 family found this helpful
"Great on a non-foggy day!"
If you are in San Francisco on a day when there is no ocean fog, you and the family must take the drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to Point Bonita. The views are unbelievable. The drive is spectacular, and once you have driven as close to the point as possible, there is plenty of parking. There are picnic tables and BBQs (of course you need to bring charcoal), and there is plenty of space for the kids to play safely while you admire the views of the ocean, bay, bridge, and SF. There is also a moderately easy hike down a paved path to the lighthouse. There are steep cliffs along the trail with protective railings, but hold on to your young children. The path goes though a walking tunnel and across a bridge to the lighthouse.
Make sure you visit on a day with no fog and preferably warmer spring or fall weather because it gets really cold in the fog.
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2 families found this helpful
"Stunning beauty - perfect for kids"
Few scenic drives can compare with the one that takes you through the Marin Headlands out to Point Bonita. It's one of those scenic drives we never fail to take visiting friends and family on. The ooohs and aaaahs start from the first turn off the golden gate bridge that turns you around to the stunning view of San Francisco across the bay framed by the elegant curves of the golden gate bridge. At the highest point, the road takes a sharp left onto a precarious and thrilling narrow single lane road. Everyone's ooohs and aaahs get even louder at this very point as the magical coastline that tails off into the distance with Point Bonita at the very end as the exclaimation mark declaring the stunning beauty of this place. The Pacifica Ocean stretched as far as the eye can see is blue as a sapphire on a sunny day.
The drive along bunker road takes you out to Point Bonita. Kids really enjoy stopping halfway down at the WWII bunkers. It is worth thinking ahead of time about how you want to discuss war relics to your kids. In our family, we do not pretend that wars do not exist. We don't like to glorify weapons of war either, so when we tour sites likes bunkers, we explain how they work and why they were built and then we talk about how wars have devastating results for families and countries. We explain that using words to resolve conflict can prevent war.
Okay...back to the main topic - Point Bonita. Taking a left onto field road, you find yourself at Point Bonita. On the weekends, take the walk out the Lighthouse. It is perfect for young children. The walk is .8 miles with many interesting things to see along the way. As you walk out, peer into the waters below, you'll almost always see harbor seals frolicking in the water. Walk a few more yards and the trail takes you through a hand dug tunnel (open Sat-Mon 12:30-3:30pm). Kids have a thrill walking through and looking at the inside of a rock up close. Playing with the echos is also a big thrill. As you emerge from the tunnel, fantastic rock formations offer a mini lesson in geology and the effects of wave and wind erosion.
Finally, the walk ends at one of the most scenic places in the world. A lighthouse perched on a large rock that is joined to the land by a quaint suspension bridge that only holds one person at a time. At this point, the lesson on physics begins as kids get to walk across a bridge and see the prism that shines a 1000 walt light bulb out 16 miles into sea.
I highly recommend this walk for every family. There is even a full moon tour offered by park rangers that is suppose to be even more magical. The nature center a short drive away is full of fun exhibits for kids. Sit into a tule hut that Miwok Indians used to live in, touch and feel whale and deer bones, smell the extract from native plants. It's especially delightful for preschool to young elementry age children.
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