Accessibility: 
Geographic coordinates: 42° 03' 45" N 70° 14' 35" W
Nearest town: Provincetown. Located on the Cape Cod National Seashore near the northern tip of Cape Cod.
Established: 1816. Present lighthouse built: 1876. Automated: 1972.
Height of tower: 45 feet. Height of focal plane: 41 feet.
Previous optic: Fourth-order Fresnel lens. Present optic: VRB-25.
Characteristic: White flash every 10 seconds.
Fog signal: Two blasts every 60 seconds.
This was Cape Cod’s third light station, after Highland Light and Chatham’s twin lights. The original rubblestone tower, first lighted on November 5, 1816, was one of the earliest revolving lights in an attempt to differentiate it from the other lighthouses on Cape Cod.
By 1875, the original lime mortar in the tower had disintegrated, and the lighthouse was covered with shingles in an attempt to stop leaks. The stone tower was replaced in 1876 by a 45-foot cast-iron lighthouse, lined with brick. A new dwelling was also built.
Three keepers and their families lived at the lighthouse in two keeper’s houses. The children had to walk more than two miles across soft sand to school each day. In the 1930s, Keeper James Hinckley made the trip much quicker by customizing an early Ford into a dune buggy. The trip that took 75 minutes on horseback was shortened to 30 minutes. Keeper Hinckley once commented on the wind in winter at the station: “The sand is bad enough, cutting into your skin, but a combination of sand and snow is almost unbearable.”
In 1960, the larger keeper’s house was torn down and the other house was modernized. The light was automated in 1972. After years of abandonment, the property was leased to the American Lighthouse Foundation (then known as the New England Lighthouse Foundation). The five-bedroom house was restored inside and out, largely by volunteer labor.
SIDE TRIP: Province Lands Visitor Center
This Cape Cod National Seashore center on Race Point Road offers orientation films, exhibits, a bookstore, and an observation deck. Ranger-guided walks based here explore the surrounding dunes. Call 508-487-1256 for information.
The keeper’s house is open for overnight stays. Guests must bring their own bedding, and the kitchen is shared with other guests. The restored fog signal building (or “whistle house”) also has two bedrooms and is rented on a weekly basis. For information on stays in the keeper’s house or whistle house at Race Point, call 508-487-9930 or visit www.racepointlighthouse.net online.
Volunteers of the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation also conduct lighthouse tours. Check www.racepointlighthouse.net for the schedule.
You can park at Race Point Beach and walk about 45 minutes (a little over two miles in very soft sand) to the lighthouse. To get to the beach parking area, take Race Point Road off Route 6 in Provincetown. You can also use your own four-wheel-drive vehicle with the proper permit, or you can contact Art’s Dune Tours, a Provincetown tour operator (508-487-1950, www.artsdunetours.com). Volunteers of the Cape Cod chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation may provide transportation during special events, such as an open house during Cape Cod Maritime Week in late May.
SIDE TRIP: Old Harbor Museum
This old lifesaving station, now on Race Point Beach, was originally established on Cape Cod at the entrance to Chatham Harbor in 1897. It was deactivated in 1944. It was then moved to Race Point Beach in 1977 and is now a museum featuring rescue equipment. There are demonstrations by National Park Service rangers in summer. Call 508-349-3785 for details.
Fascinating Fact 
Race Point’s name comes from the strong crosscurrent, known as a “race,” which made this area a nightmare for mariners.
