HistoryHidden gem
Punta Gorda Lighthouse
Petrolia, California
Concrete lighthouse ruin on the Lost Coast, 3.2 miles along the beach from Mattole.
- Cost
- Free
- Booking
- No need to book
- Time to allow
- 4 hours
Built in 1911 and decommissioned in 1951, the Punta Gorda station is managed by the BLM and is reached on foot from Mattole Campground. The beach walk takes about an hour or more each way, and the lighthouse and oil house are all that remain of 22 acres of station buildings. You often have the beach to yourself.
Good to know
- Start from Mattole Campground, 3.2 miles each way
- Check tide tables; winter storms can make parts of the beach dangerous
- Do not cross creeks above knee height
- Best time
- Summer and early autumn on a low tide
- Open
- Best May-October
- Getting there
- Beach hike from Mattole Campground
- Vehicles
- Fine in any car
- Dogs
- No dogs
Data: Roadtrip. Things change: check opening times, prices and rules before you go.
Know what the drive costs
Roadtrip works out the fuel or charging cost of any drive for your exact car, finds the cheapest stations on the way, and plans the stops.
Rated 4.7 by drivers · 700,000 downloads
