Desert Lighthouse is a full-size functioning lighthouse in the Mojave Desert near Hinkley, California.

Desert Lighthouse (2017 – Present) is a fully functioning lighthouse located in the Mojave Desert on the outskirts of Hinkley, California. Originally conceived by artist Daniel Hawkins during an agoraphobic panic attack while driving through California’s High Desert at night – the lack of any visual reference point while careening through a featureless void recalled the sublime Romantic condition of being lost at sea, and provoked a craving for the orienting singularity of a homing beacon. After 10 years of planning and construction, Desert Lighthouse was completed July 1, 2017.

Since its inaugural lighting in 2017, Desert Lighthouse has provided nearly uninterrupted illumination to a complex area of California’s High Desert. Located on the edge of the PG&E Hexavalent Chromium environmental disaster made famous by Erin Brockovich – and surrounded by militarized airspace – Desert Lighthouse has become a beacon of hope for locals who have faced decades of environmental and economic challenges. The location has become a common gathering place for locals, art tourists, sightseers, and wayward travelers. Responses to the lighthouse have been unexpected and varied, including local residents constructing a makeshift memorial to honor and scatter the ashes of their deceased loved ones at the site, the lighthouse being used as a staging ground for rescue operations for individuals lost in the surrounding desert, and the emergence of a UFO doomsday group, Stargate Hinkley, who believe the lighthouse is a cosmic portal to escape an impending apocalypse.

In early 2024, Desert Lighthouse underwent an extensive renovation called “Phase II,” aimed at extending the lighthouse’s operational lifespan and implementing a series of improvements, including: a 360° observation deck, an updated electrical system, and enhanced security features. Every night, Desert Lighthouse is illuminated.

"WITH THE DESERT LIGHTHOUSE, DANIEL HAWKINS HAS UNEARTHED THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE MOST UNLIKELY LOCATION - ITS OWN NEGATIVE SPACES."

- Doug Harvey, Artist and Writer