Our visit to Point Bonita Lighthouse was amazing, even with the limited hours and harsh midday sun. While exploring Muir Woods National Monument, we realized we had a bit of time to spare and that Point Bonita was just a few minutes away. A park ranger greeted us and gave a brief history before opening the gate to the tunnel leading to the lighthouse. Carved through solid rock in the 1870s, the narrow passage opens suddenly to sweeping views of the Pacific. Walking through it felt like stepping back in time, imagining keepers making that same daily trek to tend the light.

Point Bonita Lighthouse sits at the tip of the Marin Headlands, first lit in 1855 to guide ships into San Francisco Bay. The original site proved too high above the water, so engineers moved it lower down the cliff in 1877, where its beam could cut through the frequent fog.

Today the hours are short — 12:30 to 3:30 — and the National Park Service has closed the suspension bridge for repairs, leaving visitors to admire the view from a safe distance. Even in the midday sun, standing on the cliffs with the deep blue water below, it was easy to imagine the importance of that beam to sailors navigating the Golden Gate.

Part of a San Francisco photo series — next up, Muir Woods Overlook,