Name and Location

Anacapa Island Light is a lighthouse located on East Anacapa Island, one of the Channel Islands off southern California. The official address is Lighthouse, Ventura, CA 93001, USA.

2. Construction and History

The Anacapa Island Light was constructed in 1932 by the United States Lighthouse Service. It was enlisted on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 under criteria A (maritime history) and C (engineering/architecture).

3. Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is an early-20th-century utilitarian design, characteristic of United States Lighthouse Service structures of the 1920s–30s. The tower is made of reinforced concrete and stands at a height of 16.7 meters (55 feet) above base, with a focal height of 84.4 feet (25.7 meters) above mean sea level.

4. Light and Navigation

The lighthouse emits a group of two white flashes every 60 seconds, with a nominal range of 14 nautical miles. The light is automated, and the fog signal is a horn that blows one blast every 15 seconds.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

Anacapa Island is accessible only by boat via private charter or National Park Service concession from Ventura or Oxnard Harbor. Visitors can land at two National Park Service–maintained docks on East Anacapa, then take a trail to the lighthouse site (steep, unpaved, 2.5 km round-trip). The interior of the lighthouse and equipment buildings are closed to the general public.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The bluff-top site commands sweeping views of the Channel Islands archipelago, frequent sea-bird nesting colonies, and marine mammals such as California sea lions. On clear days, one can see Santa Cruz Island to the northwest and the mainland coast stretching toward Point Conception.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Local legend holds that early keepers heard “whispers” on foggy nights—likely the echo of their own foghorn against the steep canyon walls.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is fully automated, with no resident keeper since the mid-20th century. It is maintained by the United States Coast Guard (light) and the National Park Service (land).

9. Further Information

For further information on Anacapa Island Light, please visit the National Park Service website at https://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm or consult the following resources: National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Ref. 91001101), U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Volume VII (Pacific Coast), and NOAA Nautical Chart 18750, Santa Barbara Channel.