Local Sights

Pigeon Point State Park :: Hot tub :: Whale watching :: Whaler's Cove :: Tide pools :: Member discounts :: Pescadero Marsh :: Año Nuevo State Reserve :: Butano State Park :: Youth programs :: Resources

Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park

The hostel sits on California State Parks land, on the site of the historic Pigeon Point Lighthouse. One of the tallest lighthouse in America, the 115-foot lighthouse has stood proud since 1872--the year it began to guide mariners from its perch on the central California coast.

Half-hour guided history walks around the lighthouse grounds are available from State Parks docents on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except on rainy days).

While the hostel and grounds provide magnificent views of the lighthouse, the interior is temporarily closed to visitors, pending restoration work.

Hot tub

Hostel guests should make time to revel in our oceanside hot tub, perched on the coast above soaring brown pelicans, languid Pacific harbor seals, and migrating gray whales.

The hot tub is available from 6 to 10 p.m. nightly and is open only to overnight guests. The cost is $7 per person for a half-hour session, with a two-person minimum and a four-person maximum. Hot tub reservations are available at check-in.

Whale watching

The gray whale northern migration season from March through May is a great time of the year to stay at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel.

Watch the majestic animals spout, sound, spy-hop, and breach from the boardwalk behind our fog signal building. The gray whale makes one of the longest mammalian migrations, averaging 10,000 to 14,000 miles round trip. Mothers and calves travel very near shore on the northbound migration.

Many guests consider the migration the most spectacular event of the year, so we recommend making advance reservations to guarantee space is available.

Whaler's Cove

On the south side of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse is Whaler's Cove, a series of small sheltered beaches and coves that face southwest and are protected from the prevailing northwesterly winds. From the lighthouse, you can descend the the stairway to the beach below, or walk the bluffs above the cove along Mel's Lane walking trail.

Portuguese whalers arrived at Punta de la Ballena in the 1860s and shore-whaled from this point and cove for over a decade. Small sailing boats with paddle oars launched out of the cove to chase down the gray and humpback whales that frequent this coastline. Whalers then rowed their catch back to the beach, where the blubber was flensed and boiled to make the valuable whale oil ready for market.

Just west of Whaler's Cove is the old Pigeon Point Wharf that jutted out over the rocky islands to the south of the lighthouse, and supplied coastal schooners with timber and agricultural products during the turn of the century.

Enjoy the vista and the cove from 8 a.m. to sunset.

Tide pools

Walk a mere 100 yards north of the hostel during low tides and you will see a colorful array of starfish, crabs, mussels, abalone, sea anemones, and other marine animals on display every day.

Member discounts

Get 10 percent off meals (15 percent for seniors) at Gazos Grill in Pescadero, when you present your Hostelling International membership card.

Pescadero Marsh

Just across the highway from the hostel is Pescadero Marsh, a large coastal estuary considered the area's top destination by bird watchers and other naturalists. Thousands of northbound birds (more than 150 species) pass through the popular feeding and nesting ground, including loons, scoters, brant cormorants, and gulls. The marsh is also a refuge for blue heron, kites, deer, raccoons, foxes, and skunks.

Año Nuevo State Reserve

Observe the largest native mammals to come onto the North American continent when the northern elephant seals return to the coast for breeding season every mid-December through March. Pregnant females come ashore to have pups beginning in mid-December, with births reaching a peak by late January. Most of the adult seals are gone by early March, leaving behind the weaned pups who remain through April to swim in the tide pools.

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel partners with Año Nuevo State Reserve to provide guests with a naturalist-guided walk of the site; ask how you can reserve tickets to this sought-after tour when you book your hostel stay.

Año Nuevo State Reserve is located 7 miles south of the hostel on Highway 1.

Butano State Park

Hike through giant 1,000-year-old redwoods at Butano State Park. The 2,200-acre reserve features miles of hiking trails in a secluded redwood-filled canyon. Guided nature walks are offered during the summer.

Butano State Park is located off Highway 1, about 4.5 miles southeast of the hostel by way of Pescadero and Cloverdale roads.

Youth programs

Intercultural Programming

Tailored intercultural programming is available to youth and student groups, including World Travel 101, Cultural Kitchen, the Community Walls mural project, and Girl Scouts badge work. For details, please see the Programs section of the Golden Gate Council website.

Pigeon Point Environmental Education Program
PPEEP offers unique three-day programs in which students of all ages develop both an understanding of and an appreciation for our natural environment. While focused on marine biology, redwood ecology, botany, zoology, geology, and coastal cultural history, PPEEP also promotes the growth of cooperative, trusting, and supportive relationships between students, classmates, parents, and teachers. For details, please see the PPEEP website.