Langara Light

The Langara Point Lighthouse is a staffed lighthouse located atop a scenic bluff on the northwest corner of Langara Island. It is one of only two lighthouses in Haida Gwaii – the other being at Cape St. James (now an automated station), at the southern tip of the islands. Both were built in 1913. During World War II, the lighthouse was painted camouflage green and a radar station was built here to monitor the North Pacific. The original light, still in use today, is a first-order Fresnel lens (the largest type of lighthouse lens) manufactured by Chance Brothers of England. Each side of the lens is over 8 feet (2.4 m) tall and 5 feet (1.5 m) wide with a focal length of 3 feet (0.91 m). The lighthouse is easily seen from the water and tours are possible via helicopter. Guests to Langara Island can enjoy a 1-2 hour tour of the lighthouse and its surrounding grounds, usually including a trip up to the top of the light tower, as well as coffee or tea with the lightkeepers. The Langara Light is one of 12 lighthouses part of the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements everyday since 1936.