Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island, Washington state, United States (© Edmund Lowe Photography/Shutterstock)

Ships, storms and changing technology have come and gone, but the light remains. On Washington's San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Lighthouse has overlooked Haro Strait since 1919. Perched on a rocky bluff, its white flash continues to guide vessels through one of the Pacific Northwest's most important inland waterways. The lighthouse stands within Lime Kiln Point State Park, widely regarded as one of the world's best places to watch wild orcas from shore, with whales sometimes passing remarkably close to the coast.