Point Bonita Lighthouse was first established in 1855, making it one of the oldest light stations on the Pacific Coast. The original lighthouse was built too high on the headland -- fog frequently obscured its light, defeating its purpose. In 1877, a new lighthouse was constructed lower on the point, closer to the water, where its light could shine beneath the fog layer. Reaching the new site required blasting a tunnel through the rock and building a bridge across a gap in the cliff. The engineering reflected the Coast Guard's determination to place the light where it was most useful, regardless of the difficulty.

Point Bonita was the last lighthouse on the California coast to be staffed by keepers. The remoteness of the site, the violence of the weather, and the importance of the light to navigation through the Golden Gate all argued for human presence long after other stations had been automated. Keepers and their families lived in quarters near the lighthouse, maintaining the light and the fog signal through conditions that could be brutal -- Pacific storms drive waves against the point with tremendous force, and the wind through the Golden Gate strait is relentless.

Today the lighthouse is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to visitors on weekends. The half-mile walk from the parking area follows the cliff edge, passes through the hand-cut tunnel, and crosses the suspension bridge to the lighthouse itself. The views are spectacular and vertiginous: the Pacific stretches to the horizon on one side, and through the Golden Gate strait, the San Francisco skyline shimmers on the other. It is one of the most dramatic short walks in the national park system.