Realignment of Point San Luis Lighthouse Trail Begins
By Sue Clark on Oct 27, 2008 in News 
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Long Running Dispute Over Access
Point San Luis Lighthouse is one of the most inaccessible lighthouses in the US. But not because of its isolation. The trail that leads to it crosses private property owned by Pacific Gas and Electric, and visitors to the site and the utility company have been at odds about access for years. Well, that may change in the near future, as plans are underway to realign 1,000 feet of the Pecho Coast Trail to avoid going near the secured nuclear power plant. All hikes must currently be led by docents to prevent people from going on the site. Lighthouse News has previously written about this issue originally in July 2007 and again in August 2007.
The work will be done by the California Coastal Commission as training for its Conservationists. The lighthouse itself is owned and operated by the Harbor Commission of Port San Luis, who will be overseeing the work with the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Work on the trail realignment is due to start November 6, and includes construction of a new footbridge. Efforts are also being made to utilize shuttle vans to get visitors to the lighthouse, and once the work is completed, no one will need to use the current lighthouse access road. As a side benefit, the hike to the lighthouse will be reduced by about half an hour.
Work on the first phase is expected to be completed by the Spring.
Trailhead Site Proves To Be Problematic
But besides the realignment, officials need to relocate the trailhead, now at the main entrance to the Nuclear Power Plant, to somewhere on Port property, and that is proving to be difficult. The Port property is surrounded by steep cliffs and crumbling rock. According to Bruce Bonifas, Statewide Trails Coordinator for the Conservation Commission, “There’s no obvious spot. We would have to build a staircase to a little terrace about 80 feet above the water behind the port maintenance yard.”
The kind of staircase they are considering is called cable steps, which are wooden steps strung between two cables, said Philip LaFollette, a conservationist with the CCC camp in San Luis Obispo. It’s similar to the steps that take hikers to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
The trail builders have looked at other sites, including near the Fisherman’s Memorial Park near the Plant entrance, but that site is even worse. It’s an active slide area consisting of loose soil and utilizing it would take hikers right through a Chumash archaeological area.
Harbor officials, PG&E land managers and state trail experts will be meeting in the near future to discuss options for a new trailhead. In the meantime, there is certainly hope that at least part of the problem will be solved. Well, maybe. The thought of those cable steps sends shivers down my spine. 
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1 Comment(s)
By Sue Clark on May 17, 2009 | Reply
I received an email from the Port San Luis Harbor District Facility Manager, Anneline Weil, regarding what she felt was misinformation about this project. Since this is an older story, rather than doing a new one or adding corrections to it, I thought it would be better just to post her letter as a comment.
1. “The trail that leads to it crosses private property owned by Pacific
Gas and Electric, and visitors to the site and the utility company have been at odds about access for years. Well, that may change in the near future, as plans are underway to realign 1,000 feet of the Pecho Coast Trail to avoid
going near the secured nuclear power plant….”
The Diablo Nuclear Power Plant is in fact miles away from the trail. The realignment project involves the realignment of the southernmost portion of the Pecho Coast Trail to take hikers off Lighthouse Road to improve safety, as proposed by PGE. Lighthouse Road (Lighthouse Road is also on PG&E property) is a narrow, barely 1 lane wide, 1.8 mile road leading to the Point San Luis Light Station.
2. “Stop Sign: Stop have you called Diablo Security for Road Clearance”.
I feel this sign is misleading. The sign has been placed at the end of Lighthouse Road to remind drivers of vehicles returning from the lighthouse station to call Diablo Security at the main security gate to inquire if any
vehicles are on the road heading toward the light station. As stated previously, Lighthouse Road is very narrow and cars are not able to pass or turn around. Diablo Security helps prevent head-on encounters.
Just so you know, on June 8, 2009, the Port San Luis Harbor District will start construction activities associated with the phase II Lighthouse Road reconstruction effort. Phase I was completed January 2008, phase II should be completed by the end of the year (or sooner). With the completion of
the road reconstruction, van access to the lighthouse will be greatly increased. Additionally, docent lead hikes on the Pecho Coast Trail will also be increased. We are in the process of increasing accessibility as
much as possible. The maintenance of cultural and biological resources on the property necessitate the need to provide docent led hikes. Lighthouse Road will always be a narrow 1-lane roadway, even after the reconstruction
effort is completed (due to physical constraints and also due to cultural and biological resources) posing obvious safety concerns if opened for public access.
I personally believe that the minor access limitations add to the journey to visit the lighthouse. One is rewarded with spectacular views along the way…whether you are in a van on Lighthouse Road or on the Pecho Coast
Trail.