Mount Diablo Group

"Point Bonita Lighthouse Sesquicentennial"

Wednesday, May 11, 7:30 pm, Winslow Center, 2590 Pleasant Hill Road, Pleasant Hill (corner of Taylor Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road).

May marks the 150th anniversary of the historic Point Bonita Lighthouse. Perched precariously above crashing surf at the end of a narrow spine of volcanic rock, the light has guided mariners through the treacherous currents and howling winds of the Golden Gate Strait since 1855.

Today the lighthouse is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the Marin Headlands and is open to the public on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday afternoons. The 1/2-mile Point Bonita Trail is one of the most exciting and scenic short hikes in the world, winding through a cavernous tunnel and over a swaying suspension bridge before finally reaching the lighthouse!

Join Sarah Cramer and Ken Lavin for a slide program and talk describing the amazing history of Point Bonita, from the Gold Rush era to the present, and learn more about the upcoming lighthouse sesquicentennial celebration scheduled for the weekend of May 14 - 15. This program will also highlight the many hiking and camping opportunities available in the Marin Headlands.

Sarah Cramer is event coordinator for the Point Bonita Lighthouse Sesquicentennial Celebration and an education specialist at the Oakland Zoo. Ken Lavin is a park ranger in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.