No. 305 Lime Kiln Lighthouse State Park

Lime Kiln Point State Park
1567 Westside Road
Friday Harbor, Wa 98250
Hours: 8am to Dusk

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Lime Kiln Point State Park is located on the western side of San Juan Island. The 36 acres state park features over a mile of trails that wander down to the waters edge and through a grove of pacific madrone tree to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Beginning in the 1860s the west side of San Juan Island was quarried for lime stone and a good portion on the island was deforested to feed the fires that transformed limestone into lime, which was then used in construction mortar.
A shoreline viewpoint is about a 10 minute walk from the parking lot. The rocky shoreline plunges to over 900 feet in depth quickly. Through the daily tidal currents from Haro Straight into the Gulf of Georgia nutrients rich waters are pushed up against the island attracting a variety of marine life to congregate just off shore including fish, otters, sea lions, seals, minke whales and orca whales that come to play in the kelp beds and hunt for salmon.
Depending on the time of year Lime Kiln Point is a popular land based whale spotting location.

Lime Kiln Lighthouse is a 38 foot octagonal building built on a rock cliff 20 feet above the waterline and the fourth-order Fresnel lens was first light in 1919. The lighthouse tower was built atop of a fog signal building. In 1951 the Bonnevile Power Administration laid a submarine power cable from Anacortes, WA to San Juan Island and the Fresnel lens was replaced by a non-rotating electric bulb, and two electric foghorns were installed. The light station became fully automated in 1962.
In 1984 the lighthouse station and grounds were turned over by the United States Coast Guard to  Washington State Parks. The USCG still maintains the lighthouse tower as an active aid to marine navigation, but the building is used by the Friends of Lime Kiln Society as an Interpretive Center for Special Events and Tours.

Discover Pass: An Annual Discover Pass or a Day Use fee is required for vehicle access to the park for day use. No over night parking