Shelter Cove

The Cape Mendocino Lighthouse began operations in 1868. The first tower had 16 sides and a double balcony and was bolted to a concrete foundation 422 feet above the ocean. The lighthouse remained active until the 1940s, when it was automated and the Fresnel lens removed. By the 1960s it had not only been abandoned but was inching down a hillside and succumbing to the debilitating effects of rust; in the late 1990s it was relocated 35 miles south to Shelter Cove and reassembled.

The reassembled and refurbished structure stands at the tip of Point Delgada in tiny Mal Coombs Park, 23 miles west of US 101 exit 642 (Redwood Drive). It is usually open to the public daily 11-3, Memorial Day-Labor Day. From the park there is access to a beach where you can explore tide pools.