Address: 680 Atlantic Avenue Santa Cruz, Ca. 95062
The Walton Lighthouse was designed by Mark Mesiti-Miller and opened in 2001. The lighthouse is named in honor of Derek Walton who is the late brother of Charles Walton who made a donation on it’s construction. The Walton lighthouse is 41 feet tall, shaped as a tapered cylindrical tower with a lantern and balcony. It’s weighed 350,000 pounds to withstand a quarter million pounds of wave energy. It’s built to protect the entrance to the Santa Cruz harbor on a man made jetty and situated near the Seabright Beach
It took us about 1 hour and 30 minutes (70 miles) drive from San Francisco via CA-1 South/Cabrillo Highway North. My family and I enjoyed our scenic drive to Santa Cruz via Ca-1. We passed through several beautiful beaches situated along the coast, small coastal towns, organic farms, and a popular lighthouse called Pigeon Point along the way.
We arrived at the Lighthouse at around 2 p.m. and parked at the Harbor parking area for a fee since there was no street parking available. We walked for about 15 minutes to get to the lighthouse from the Harbor parking lot. We had to pass through the Marina and walked all the way to the lighthouse on a dirt pathway but later became cemented upon reaching the lighthouse area. The pathway is surrounded and protected by huge rocks to prevent or break the larger waves. There is a warning signage to watch out for sleeper waves. And there was an entrance or access to the Seabright Beach on our way to the lighthouse. Some people were just sitting on a bench and watching the sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals and birds fish.
There were strong and big waves that crushed loudly onto to the surrounding rocks that protects the Lighthouse. There is also a sign of “Walton Lighthouse” painted on top of the main entrance of the lighthouse. Since the inside of the lighthouse is not accessible, my daughter and wife took pictures outside of the 41 feet tall, white, cylindrical lighthouse. My wife and daughter enjoyed watching all the beautiful and colorful sailboats that passed through in and out from the Harbor/Marina. The Santa Cruz beach boardwalk was also visible from the Walton Lighthouse. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t stay late until sunset as we have to head back home.
Tips: For safety, be careful of strong or sleeper waves when crossing or walking towards the lighthouse. Either you park on the street on Atlantic Avenue or park by the harbor area for a fee. You can’t go inside the lighthouse but can walk around the outside of the Lighthouse. Public restrooms are available in the Harbor parking area. There’s a popular restaurant in the Harbor parking area called Aldo’s Restaurant and the Crow’s Nest where we ate lunch which is a few minutes drive from the Walton Lighthouse. Some locals told us that the lighthouse is best viewed during sunset or sunrise. Always bring a jacket or blanket as the weather is unpredictable.
Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Walton Lighthouse after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.