9 Oregon lighthouses

I wanted to visit lighthouses while we were in the Northwest and we went to a couple in Washington.  Soon after crossing the border into Oregon I became aware that there are nine historic lighthouse on the Oregon coast and became obsessed with the idea of making a pilgrimage to each one on our trip south along the coast.  This actually sounds easier than it is to accomplish because they all have their own quirky open days and times.  We did it in three days of travel so I was pretty proud of us, although it involved a little backtracking and supreme patience on Scott’s part.

#1-Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

It can only be seen from afar and our photo is from Ecola State Park on the first day of the quest.  It was active from 1881-1957 and is on a basalt  islet.  It has a 62′ tower, stands 133′ feet above sea level, and was nicknamed “Terrible Tilly” because of its exposure to fierce storm waves.

#2 Cape Meares Lighthouse

Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint is ten miles out from Tillamook and houses the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon coast at 38′ tall.  But it is 217′ above sea level and was active from 1890-1963. We hiked down a short wooded trail to the light and got our own personal tour with a lady volunteer and her teenage trainee.  It’s no longer in service but still has a first-order Fresnel lens, so that was cool to see.  Just off the viewpoint there were sea stacks covered with birds.We hiked up a different trail from the lighthouse to see the Octopus Tree, which is an Oregon Heritage Tree estimated to be 250 to 300 years old.  It is a Sitka spruce with no central trunk, but instead has limbs that spread horizontally and then turn upwards. The cause is a mystery.

#4 Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

We went farther down the coast to Yaquina Bay so we could get there before it closed. It was in service from 1871-74 and is the second oldest on the Oregon coast.  The tower is 42′ high and it is 161′ feet above sea level, with the tower at the top of the keeper’s house.

We were able to tour the house but not go up inside the tower itself.

The view from the front bedroom out to sea.

We felt right at home seeing the pantry full of Alpine Coffee.  Umm, no.  We’ve never actually heard of that brand but since it was our hometown, we had to snap a shot of it.

#3 Yaquina Head Lighthouse

It’s not open on Wednesdays, so that is why we bypassed it to get to Yaquina Head before closing time. Then we backtracked up the coast to Yaquina Head where we could walk up to it and take photos. In service from 1873-present, the tower is 93′ tall and the tallest on the Oregon coast, and the light is 162′ above sea level.

#5 Heceta Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head has a 56′ tower that sits 205′ above sea level. It has been in service from 1894-present, its automated beacon is the strongest light on the Oregon coast and can be seen 21 miles out to sea. We decided to make other stops on the way and sacrifice touring inside this one, so we didn’t make it here until dusk. This turned out to be serendipity because we got to hike up the trail to the lighthouse and see it lighted.  That was very cool to see close up and also later as we were driving down the coast. 

The lighthouse keeper’s home is now a B&B administered by the Forest Service.

#6 Umpqua River Lighthouse

The third day of the lighthouse quest began with a visit to Umpqua River. This is the second lighthouse on this site. The first was built in 1857 and was the first on Oregon coast but the sand under the foundation eroded and it fell into the river in 1861. The current lighthouse is almost identical to Heceta Head and has been in service 1894-present, but it differs from Heceta in that it has red and white flashes.  It has a 65′ tower and is 165′ above sea level.

We arrived soon after opening time and looked through the museum in the old Coast Guard building adjacent, then had our lighthouse tour with Dave who was a great tour guide. He was full of information and let us take lots of photos. The original stairs are still in place and we were stopped just below the light room because it’s a working light. But he let us go one at a time halfway up the ladder and put our heads inside.  So cool! The turning red and white light looked like being inside a huge kaleidoscope. That was really awesome. #7 Cape Arago Lighthouse

We drove farther down the coast and found the Cape Arago overlook. You can’t go to the lighthouse because it’s on an islet and owned by several tribes, so it’s only available to see from far away, but it was neat. The tower is 44′ high and stands 100′ above sea level. It was first illuminated in 1934 so it’s the newest light on the Oregon coast, but earlier lights were built on the site in 1866 and 1908 and both were destroyed by weather and erosion.

#8 Coquille River LighthouseThis 40′ tower light is different because it was a stationary harbor light to protect ships from a dangerous bar and was in use from 1896-1939. The others on the coast are turning danger lights. We had a personal tour up to the top but the stairs aren’t original and there’s no light in the tower. It was still cool to go up inside, the view was neat, and the guide was interesting plus he gave us a lunch recommendation in Bandon. We climbed down on the rocks behind the lighthouse on the river to get some good views.

#9 Cape Blanco LighthouseLast of the nine historic lighthouses on the Oregon coast and we knew we would be there too late for the tour but thought we could walk up and around it. No. The gates to the area also close at 3:30 pm. So we could only see it from far away. Bummer. The light is 256′ above sea level, is the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast, and has been in use from 1870-present. And yes, the wind was blowing. Hard.So we did it! We saw them all!!!! Nine lighthouses in three days. Whoopee!