Point Bonita Lighthouse

The city and coastal views are breathtaking at Marin County’s southernmost point.

Distinctive rust-colored algae surround the entrance to the hand-dug rock tunnel leading to the Point Bonita Lighthouse. The 1877 structure replaced one built in 1855, a few years after the California gold rush began. High on a nearby ridge, the earlier lighthouse was so often enveloped by fog that ship captains couldn’t make out its light. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the current white-painted-brick edition. 

Off-Limits

The half-mile Point Bonita Trail, which leads down to and through the tunnel, is open from 12:30 to 3:30 pm, except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. At 12:15 pm on days the tunnel is open, a ranger or docent discusses the lighthouse’s history at the entrance. The disarmingly springy suspension bridge that delivered visitors to the desolate, rocky spot on which the lighthouse sits closed indefinitely in 2024 due to structural flaws. Although the lighthouse is off-limits, the breathtaking views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate (bridge and strait), the headlands, and up the Marin coastline remain the real treat (and major photo ops). The short return walk from Point Bonita is steep.

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Getting Here

The Point Bonita Lighthouse trailhead begins at the southern end of Field Road. 

By Car

If heading north from San Francisco: Just after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, take the Alexander Avenue exit, and turn left at the first opportunity. (As you make the left turn, you’ll see signs for the Marin Headlands coastal and tunnel routes. Follow the one for the coastal route.) After you pass under U.S. 101, you’ll be heading south back toward the bridge. Conzelman Road is the last road before the bridge. Take the right fork and head up the hill, stopping as you wish at one or more of the vista points.

Conzelman Road becomes one-way after Hawk Hill; follow it to Field Road and make a left when you see the sign for Point Bonita Lighthouse. There’s a small parking lot near the trailhead. If it’s full, backtrack up Field Road to the larger Battery Alexander parking lot. 

If heading south on U.S. 101 from anywhere in Marin: Take the Alexander Avenue exit (the last one before the Golden Gate Bridge) and immediately turn left, following the brown sign that reads Marin Headlands Coastal Route. In a hundred or so feet, head west (right) up Conzelman Road, and continue as above.

Itinerary

Point Bonita Lighthouse appears in Scenic Marin Headlands Escape.

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Great Marin County Hikes

Abbotts Lagoon
Battery Mendell to Battery Townsley
Coastal, Wolf Ridge, Miwok Trails Loop
Mount Tamalpais Muir Woods Loop
Rodeo Lagoon to Point Bonita Lighthouse
Rodeo Lagoon Trail Loop
Roy’s Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Tule Elk Preserve

This story first appeared online in 2017; it was fact-checked and updated in 2025.