Washington Lights | West Point Lighthouse

West Point Lighthouse • Seattle, WA

West Point Lighthouse can be reached by following a path, part wood plank and part dirt, as part of a 400 foot descent to the beach from the top of Magnolia Bluff. From the vantage point of the light, one can see the full array of the Olypic mountains and the islands of Puget Sound. The WashingtonLights.com banner image (at the top of every page on this site) features West Point Lighthouse in a photograph I'd taken on my second visit the the light in July 2003.

• H I S T O R Y •

West Point Light was built in 1881, making it the second oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound. It's fog signal was first a bell suspended in the tower, later replaced by a steam whistle and then by a Daboll trumpet. In 1917 the Lake Washington Ship Canal was completed just north of the point, and thereafter the lighthouse additionally served as a marker for the canal which connected Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington. West Point Light was the last lighthouse to be automated on Puget Sound, in 1985.

• A T T R I B U T E S •

Location:	On the east side of Puget Sound, overlooking Elliot Bay.
Year built:	1881 (quarters added 1906)
Form:	Square tower, integral to quarters
Composition:	Brick & Stucco
Markings:	White w/ a red roof
Height:	23 feet
Present Optic:	Fourth Order Fresnel
Original Optic:	Same, Fourth Order Fresnel
Focal Plane:	27 feet above sea level

• S T A T U S •

The lighthouse is an active navigational aid in Fort Lawton, a deactivated naval base. It is not open to the public, but the grounds surrounding it are. The area around the light is Discovery Park, a 534-acre natural-area park operated by the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. It is the largest city park in Seattle, and occupies most of the former Fort Lawton site. Several branches of the military and other government services (such as the Federal Aviation Administration, Army Reserve and Seattle Mounted Police) still inhabit parts of historic Fort Lawton.

• D I R E C T I O N S •

In Seattle, follow 15th Ave NW to Dravis. Head west on Dravis; you will go up a VERY steep hill. At the top of the hill, take a right onto 28th Ave NW. Follow 28th Ave five blocks and take a left on W. Tilden St. Go three blocks and take a right on 30th Ave NW, go one block and then take a left onto Emerson. Follow Emerson until you see the signs for Discovery Park and Fort Lawton.

• W A L L P A P E R •

Click on an image to the left to see the 640x480 size version. You can then right-click on the larger image and select "Set as wallpaper." If your screen resolution is greater than 640x480 use the "stretch" feature in Windows to expand the image to cover your entire desktop. More wallpaper...