Spiraling Up the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Stairs-ESRM 462 Coastal Trip
Channel: Sean Anderson
Date: 06/11/2022

We had a rare treat on November 3, 2022; a small group and mild weather conspired to allow our students to walk up the spiral staircase wrapping up to the main deck of the light station.  The views from the top of this now-truncated lighthouse are spectacular and really drive home how challenging it was to construct this navigation aid in the 19th century (it officially opened in 1875).

Conserving and curating key cultural resources foundational to our management of the coastal zone is never easy.  You get a sense of the logistic challenges while ambling up this wrought iron staircase. It would be wonderful to offer this experience to more folks, but a HUGE array of challenges would need to be overcome to transform this experience into a safe and accessible trek for the general public.