Historic KPH Maritime Radio Receiving Station

• Morse code sent and received live, with volunteers explaining how the traffic moved between ships and shore.
• Operating positions, teletype, and restored receivers in their original setting.
• The chance to send a radiogram yourself.
• Knowledgeable, welcoming hosts from the group that keeps the station on the air.

The Monterey cypress lining the driveway were planted around 1930 and have grown into a dense green corridor leading to the white station building. It is the signature landscape feature of the site and a reminder of the prestige RCA attached to the operation. The paved drive under the canopy is the classic photograph, and soft or overcast light usually works better than harsh midday sun inside the tunnel.

• Outside the Saturday tour window there is no public access to the interior, so you would be seeing only the exterior of the building and the cypress tunnel.
• There are no restrooms at the station; the nearest are at Estero Trailhead and North Beach, so plan a stop on the way.
• The visit is compact. Pair it with other stops along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard rather than treating it as a half-day destination.

Aim for a Saturday afternoon inside the noon to 4 pm tour hours, arriving early in that window if you have not reserved. Give yourself a few extra minutes at the driveway for photographs of the tunnel before or after the tour.