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All the United States California Inverness Point Reyes Lighthouse
AO Edited

Point Reyes Lighthouse

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

Inverness, California

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Andres Schiffino
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A thick fog engulfs the Point Reyes Lighthouse.   Rshao/cc by-sa 3.0
The Point Reyes Lighthouse.   Lily Phan/cc by-sa 3.0
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Pt. Reyes Light   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Stairwell, Pt. Reyes Light   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Side lighthouse railing, looking west   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Pt. Reyes Light auxiliary building   RogueSuit / Atlas Obscura User
Views  
  MtnLady / Atlas Obscura User
Point Reyes Lighthouse in clearer weather.   Frank Schulenburg/CC BY-SA 3.0
The Point Reyes Lighthouse can be seen in the poster for John Carpenter’s The Fog.   Andres Schiffino / Atlas Obscura User
4 Sept 2024   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
The Fresnal lens inside the Point Reyes Lighthouse.   Eric Chan/cc by 2.0
4 Sept 2024   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The extremely high winds and dense fog that descend from the Gulf of Farallones onto Point Reyes, California, necessitated a need for a lighthouse. As such, the Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870. 

The beacon spends the majority of the year wrapped in a thick cloak of fog. The stark imagery of the lighthouse on the edge of a rocky cliff surrounded by murk and great waves crashing around it has inspired artists.

The poet Weldon Kees was so moved by the Point Reyes Lighthouse that he wrote the poem "The Exposed Reef." The poem recounts the harrowing experience of a sailor being swept away by raging waters and crashing onto the jagged rocks at the base of the lighthouse. In 1954, Kees would return to Point Reyes to collaborate with the filmmaker William Heick to make a documentary on the lighthouse. 

Most people today will recognize the Point Reyes Lighthouse from the cult horror film The Fog, directed by John Carpenter. In the film, Adrienne Barbeau portrays a disc jockey whose radio show broadcasts from the lighthouse. She uses her show to warn the townspeople of a supernatural fog carrying with it a crew of undead pirates.

The area where the Point Reyes Lighthouse is located is now a national park. The Lighthouse Visitor Center has exhibits on maritime history as well as information on the native sea life. Weather permitting, park visitors can walk the 300 plus steps down to the lighthouse and enter inside to view the lens and gear works.

Update as of April 2020: The lighthouse and its first-order Fresnel lens and clockworks were recently restored and re-opened. 

Related Tags

Film Locations Film Lighthouses

Know Before You Go

Point Reyes Lighthouse is located in Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County, California. It's best to check on weather reports before attempting to visit since the lighthouse is closed to visitors during inclement weather.

Community Contributors

Added By

Andres Schiffino

Edited By

MJPNoCal, deliafrrll, kittyv, shaunk82...

  • MJPNoCal
  • deliafrrll
  • kittyv
  • shaunk82
  • breaingram
  • MtnLady
  • RogueSuit
  • APx2

Published

January 11, 2019

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Sources
  • https://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHCA.asp
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=BdKbNynUZYQC&pg=PA172&lpg=PA172&dq=weldon+kees+exposed+reef&source=bl&ots=e46TMsaOG4&sig=kKj1AYofSXSVquhPy6NzgPLFaAk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdiuKSo9_fAhVyRN8KHUEQAYkQ6AEwA3oECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=weldon%20kees%20exposed%20reef&f=false
  • http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/f/Fog-1979.php
  • https://www.nps.gov/pore/blogs/lighthouse_restoration_2018.htm
Point Reyes Lighthouse
27000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Inverness, California
United States
37.996512, -123.020476
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