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Lime Kiln, WA |
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Description:
The San Juan Islands, located in the northwest corner of Washington State, are breathtaking gems on a gentle sea.
Lime Kiln tenderly watches over the whales and waterways of the entrance to Haro Strait, a major shipping route to Vancouver, British Columbia. Beginning operations in 1914, it was the last major light established in Washington. The lighthouse was updated five years later with a 38-foot octagonal concrete tower rising from the fog signal building. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was first exhibited from the new tower on June 30, 1919. Lime Kiln was also the last lighthouse to receive electricity, waiting until the 1940s, after World War II. The light was automated in 1962, and a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire was built around the lighthouse. Today, the tower flashes a white light once every five seconds. The two original keeper's dwellings can be seen in the woods west of the lighthouse. In 1985, the lighthouse and surrounding sea were dedicated as a whale sanctuary and research station for marine mammal scientists. Under the direction of the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, scientists based in the lighthouse track the movements and behavior of the orca whales, which reside in the area. Three webcams and a hydrophone are located at the lighthouse to facilitate remote tracking of the whales. With the lighthouse "staffed" once again, the chain-link fence encircling it was removed.
References
Purchase prints and gifts featuring photographs on this page Location: Located in Lime Kiln State Park on the western side of San Juan Island. Latitude: 48.51584 Longitude: -123.15263 For a larger map of Lime Kiln Lighthouse, click the lighthouse in the above map or get a map from: Mapquest. Travel Instructions: Friday Harbor on San Juan Island can be reached by Washington State Ferry from Anacortes, which is roughly 75 miles north of Seattle. For ferry schedules, see the Washington State Ferry website. Once in Friday Harbor, follow Spring Street west out of the town. Spring Street will become San Juan Valley Road. From San Juan Valley Road, turn left on Douglas Road and drive 1.7 miles to Bailer Hill Road. Turn right on Bailer Hill Road and drive roughly four miles, where it will turn into Westside Road. Follow Westside Road 1.5 miles to Lime Kiln State Park. A short hike from the parking area is required to reach the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. The interior of the lighthouse is used for whale research, but tours are reportedly offered in the summer. The park grounds are open from 8 a.m. to dusk. In 2007, tours of the lighthouse were offered on Thursdays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., May through September. If you are looking for a place to stay near the lighthouse, try States Inn, a B&B that was formerly a school house. The lighthouse is owned by Washington State Parks. Grounds open, lighthouse open during tours. Find the closest hotels to Lime Kiln Lighthouse Notes from a friend: Kraig writes:In two visits to Lime Kiln State Park, we never did see a killer whale from the lighthouse. However, during another trip, we took a whale watching trip from Victoria, BC, which took us to the waters in front of the lighthouse, and we were fortunate to see several orcas. See our List of Lighthouses in Washington |
