A few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to resume the lighthouse adventures. I realized that if I didn’t get around to seeing them soon, the season would change and either the weather or lack of tours would put my trips on hold until next Spring. Up next on the list was Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.

Approaching Piedras Blancas Lighthouse heading South on Hwy 1.

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse (or White Rocks lighthouse) is in Cambria, about a 3.5 hour drive South of where we live. It is just north of Hearst Castle on Highway 1 in Coastal Central California.

The drive on Highway 1 was, as usual, beautiful. We hadn’t driven this segment of road since our trip to Morro Bay roughly 3 years ago. It was also extremely tiring, as this was a day trip with over 7 hours of road time.

This white rock or piedra blanca is where the lighthouse gets its name. The rock got this color from birds droppings over the years… hard to believe but true!

We picked up our tickets at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center, and proceeded by bus, on an organized tour to this otherwise unavailable-to-the-public lighthouse.

One of the first things we learned, that I found amusing, was how the lighthouse was named. Piedra Blanca means white rock, which has formed in the area for hundreds of years due to birds’ droppings. Initially I found this hard to believe, but eventually was just amused. It turns out that many of the nearby rocks don’t get hit by waves, thus keeping the rocks dry. As a result, birds stay on these rocks longer and do their business. In contrast, rocks on the northern Mendocino Coast (for example) constantly get pounded by waves, so birds won’t stay long and will fly off before they can leave their turds.

I liked the lighthouse from this angle, showing its size and some of the surroundings. The volunteers who took us on this tour are working on renovating this lighthouse.

We proceeded to walk around the grounds listening to a bit of history prior to the construction of the lighthouse, and eventually had a chance to get inside. The lighthouse, with the exception of the fresnel lense (removed, residing at Hearst Castle), stood as it had been since its establishment in 1875. It will be undergoing renovations as it continues to fall apart.

Beautiful white rocks surround the area leading north to the lighthouse. I love seeing the rocks jut out of the ocean.

After our 2 hour lighthouse trip, we returned to the Hearst Castle Visitor Center and hopped on Highway 1 North to get a few more glimpses of the lighthouse from the road, then on to dinner and back home.

We stopped in Carmel on the way home, had some dinner and much needed coffee to keep me awake on the drive home. We got home extremely exhausted but really content. I have now seen 13 lighthouses, but have also added an extra one I’d like to see… so 3 more to visit.