Oregon's Great Lighthouses

If lighthouses are what makes your heart pound and give a feel of discovery when viewing them then the Oregon coast is the place for the lighthouse lovers to visit. Here is a list of the Oregon Coast Lighthouses and what each offers to the lighthouse lover. My family has spend many years visiting these great lighthouses along the Oregon coast.

Starting in Astoria Oregon in the Northern most area of the Oregon Coast a traveler may choose to visit the famous Fort Stevens State Park; this is not a Lighthouse but I one of Oregon's most beautiful forts and historical sites along the Oregon Trail for the traveler to engage in feeling the past come alive. However, going south down Highway 101 your first Lighthouse experience will be:

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse located 1.2 mils seaward off Tillamook Head and just south of Seaside this lighthouse is 133 feet above sea level and 62-feet high at the tower. Built on the basalt rock islet, the life of this Lighthouse being located as it sits and exposed to the Pacific Northwest's storms it is fondly named "Terrible Tilly". Tillamook Rock Lighthouse was build to guide ships entering the Columbia River in 1881 and in 957 was replaced by a whistle buoy. This is the only lighthouse in Oregon that is privately owned and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse recently was used as a columbarium, a place to store the ashes of the deceased. There is no public access and this Lighthouse is no longer used as a columbarium due to some legal problems in the recent past.

Cape Meares Lighthouse is next on your route and located 10 miles west of Tillamook and on US Highway 101. Cape Meares stands 217 feet above sea level with a 38-foot tower. Cape Meares Lighthouse is the shortest tower of all the Oregon Lighthouses. The Light at Cape Meares was lit in 1890 and replaced by automatic beacon in 1963. Be ready to hike the trails that lead from the main parking lot to Cape Mears but the viewpoints that overlook the offshore islets will give the visitor a wonderful and exciting view of the Stellar sea lions that make the Oregon Coast their home. Cape Meares Lighthouse is just one of Oregon's many whale watching points.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse is third on the list of must visit and is located off Hwy 101, just 3 mils north of Newport Oregon. With a 93-foot high tower this is Oregon coasts tallest Lighthouse tower. 163 feet above sea level this Lighthouse first began guiding the ships off the Oregon Coast in 187w3. Today modern automated lighting illuminates the entrance to Yaquina Bay. Yaquina Bay is managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and offers close views of Oregon's seabird nesting areas. Entrance fee I $7.00 per vehicle and $15.00 Yaquina Head Annual Pass, Oregon pacific Coast Passport or federal interagency pass accepted.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is located in Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site on Hwy 101 at the north end of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport. This lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse structure standing on the Oregon coast. In service from 1871 to 1874 to guide the ships until being replaced by the Yaquina Head Light House which eliminated the need for the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is now privately owned and maintain since 1996 when the relighting took place to assist the navigation o the U.S. Coast Guard.

Heceta Head Lighthouse is just 12 miles north of Florence Oregon. Located on the west side of Heceta Head and sitting 205 feet above sea level this is one of Oregon's haunted Lighthouses. Lit in 1894 with the light at the top of Heceta's 56-foot tower the automat beacon can be seen 21 miles from land. This is rated one of the strongest lighthouses on the Oregon Coast. Heceta is close to the historic assistant light keeper's house, which was built in 1893, and now a favorite bed and breakfast in the entire State. Open daily from May to September from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday - Monday and during March, April and October. Day-use fee is $.00 per vehicle, annual permit, Oregon Pacific Coast Passport accepted.

Umpqua River Lighthouse is 6 miles south of Reedsport right above the entrance to Winchester Bay and adjacent to Umpqua Lighthouse state Park. This early structure was commissioned on the north spit of the river in 1857 and was the first lighthouse sited on the Oregon coast. It fell into the river in 1861 due to sand erosion under its foundation. The current lighthouse structure has a 65-foot tower, which overlooks the sand dunes from 165 feet above sea level. This new structure is identical to the Heceta Head Lighthouse with it's light illuminated in 1894. Te structure and museum is maintained by the Douglas County Parks and Recreation Department with a visitor fee of $3.00 adults, $2.00 age 7-16 and under 6 is free.

Cape Arago Lighthouse is just 12 miles southwest of North Bend and Coos Bay off of Hwy 101. This lighthouse stands 100feet above sea level on an islet just off Gregory Point. The tower stands 44-feet high and was illuminated in 1934. Although this newest lighthouse is actually built on a site of older structures that date back as far as 1866 and 1908 it is still a great place for the Lighthouse lover to visit. Both of these older structures succumbed to weather and erosion. Cape Arago Lighthouse has a unique foghorn and a visitor can listen for this special sound when visiting the area. The Cap Arago Lighthouse is not open to the public.

Coquille River Lighthouse is located in Bullards Beach Sate Park and sits 2 miles north of Bandon Oregon on the north bank of the Coquille River. Commissioned in 1896 the Coquille River Lighthouse guided mariners across a dangerous bar. Decommissioned in 1939 because of improvements to the river channel and other navigational aides the Coquille River Lighthouse was no longer necessary. Restored in 1979 as a local interpretive center and with solar-powered system operation the light at the top of the Coquille Lighthouses 40-foot tower is functional today.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse is Oregon's most southern located lighthouse. Above the western most point in Oregon Cape Blanco Lighthouse is 9 miles north of Port Orford Oregon just off US Hwy 101. The oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast Cape Blanco was commissioned in 1879 t aid shipping generated by the gold mining and lumber industry. Cape Blanco's cliff top location is 245 feet above sea level and the tower rises 59-feet. The US Coast Guard installed automation to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse in 1980. There is a magnificent wildlife viewing area and BLM, OPRD, local Native American tribes and the Friends of Cape Blanco cooperatively manage visitor's services and tours. Open April to October 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

As you can tell Oregon has some of the United States most interesting and visitor friendly Lighthouses on the Western Seaboard.