Año Nuevo Light Station is off limits to the public, but the toppled lighthouse tower is visible from Año Nuevo State Reserve. Elephant seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals come ashore to rest, mate, and give birth in the sand dunes or on the beaches and offshore islands. Año Nuevo State Reserve is the site of the largest mainland breeding colony in the world for the northern elephant seal. The light station was abandoned in 1948 and the tower was pushed over in 1976 for safety measures.
