Cape Mendocino Lighthouse

Explore the history and beauty of the 1868 iron lighthouse in Shelter Cove, CA

About Us

The mission of the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse Preservation Society is to maintain the nonprofit Cape Mendocino Lighthouse museum as a historical landmark in Shelter Cove, California and to provide visitors access.

Our Mission

The Cape Mendocino Lighthouse is maintained by a group of volunteer docents. The lighthouse is operated most months as an open museum. The Cape Mendocino Lighthouse Preservation Society is a nonprofit funded by generous donations from visitors and the community.

Our Team

Our Lighthouse History

The Cape Mendocino Lighthouse was moved to Shelter Cove from Cape Mendocino in 1998. It opened to the public in May of 2000. The nonprofit society raised the money and recruited the volunteers for the move project. The society is responsible for the maintenance of the lighthouse museum and has a group of volunteer docents that open it for visitors in the summer. The lighthouse building is owned by Humboldt County and it is located on Bureau of Land Management land in Mal Coombs Park in Shelter Cove, California.