![]() | Oregon State ParksLighthouses |
Brochure about the Oregon Coast Lighthouses. Published by Oregon State Parks.
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covered parks
725 Summer St. NE, Suite C
Salem, OR 97301
800-551-6949
oregonstateparks.org
Oregon’s Sentinels
Experience the Past
Year-Round Recreation
O
ided by interpretive displays, historical
accounts and a little imagination, you can
learn what life was like for the workers who
lit the way for mariners navigating Oregon’s
perilous coastline.
A
Many of Oregon’s lighthouses double as excellent
wildlife viewing areas. They are great places to
spot sea birds, seals and migrating Gray whales.
regon’s coastal lighthouses are visible
links to the past—towering monuments
to Oregon’s maritime heritage and to the
hardworking people that kept the lighthouse
beacons lit. Although unoccupied since the
arrival of modern technology, these classic
structures stand as a testament to the history
of Oregon’s
rugged coast.
Most of Oregon’s
lighthouses were
designed and
built by the U.S.
Army Corps
of Engineers
between 1870
and 1896. They
were erected
Coquille River Lighthouse
on prominent
headlands or near major estuaries to support
commercial fishing and shipping along the
Oregon coast. The lighthouses were originally
managed by the former U.S. Lighthouse
Board, with the U.S. Coast Guard taking over
stewardship duties in 1939.
After installing automated beacons in the 1960s,
the Coast Guard began transferring its lighthouse
holdings to other government agencies. All nine
of Oregon’s surviving lighthouse stations have
been added to the National Register of Historic
Places. They are visited by more than 2.5 million
people each year.
If you’re touring lighthouses, check out (or stay at!)
a nearby state park. See the map on the reverse.
Climb to lantern or tower watch rooms and
experience the panoramic sights once enjoyed
by the light tenders from their perches high on
the cliffs. Hear the sounds of seabirds, wind
and waves that accompanied their isolation
as they worked through the night to prevent
ships from running aground on the rocks.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
Lighthouse Helpers
I
f you’d like to learn more about Oregon’s
lighthouses and help with preservation and
education efforts, you will be welcomed by any
of these nonprofit organizations:
U.S. Lighthouse Society, Oregon Chapter
Phone: 415-362-7255
oregon.uslhs.org
Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses
750 Lighthouse Dr. #7, Newport, OR 97365
Phone: 541-574-3100
yaquinalights.org
Friends of Cape Meares Lighthouse
and Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 262, Netarts, OR 97143
Phone: 503-842-2244
capemeareslighthouse.org
Most of Oregon’s lighthouses offer scheduled
tours. See the reverse side for more
information, or call the State Parks Information
Center at 800-551-6949.
Cape Blanco Heritage Society
P.O. Box 1132, Port Orford, OR 97465
Phone: 541-332-0521
capeblancoheritagesociety.com
Coquille River Lighthouse Keepers Foundation Inc.
P.O. Box 21, Bandon, OR 97411
Cover: Yaquina Head Lighthouse
All information or fees subject to change without notice.
This brochure is available in alternative formats upon request.
Call 1-800-551-6949. Oregon Relay for the hearing impaired: dial 711.
63400-8018 (3/18)
Printed on recycled paper.
Please do your part for the environment.
Cape Arago Lighthouse
Oregon State Parks Foundation
Oregon Lighthouse Campaign
888 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 1600, Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-802-5750
oregonstateparksfoundation.org
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse
Tillamook Rock has a 62-foot-high tower and stands
133 feet above sea level on a basalt rock islet. Its
exposure to fierce storm waves gave rise to its
nickname–“Terrible Tilly.” Commissioned in 1881
to guide ships entering the Columbia River, it was
replaced by a whistle buoy in 1957. At one time, it was
used as a columbarium, a storage place for ashes of
the deceased.
There is no public access to Tillamook.
Astoria
Seaside
Tillamook
Head
Tillamook
Rock
Cape Meares Lighthouse
Cannon
Beach
Cape Falcon
This lighthouse stands 217 feet above the ocean, yet its
38-foot tower is the shortest on the Oregon coast. First
illuminated in 1890, it was decommissioned in 1963.
Visitors to the tower can view the original 1890 Fresnel
lens. Nearby trails lead to views of sea bird nesting sites,
sea lions and migrating whales.
The lighthouse is open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May
through September. Hours extend to 6 p.m. on weekends
during June, July and August. Admission and tours are
free. For more information call Cape Lookout State Park at
503-842-3182.
Tillamook Bay
Tillamook
Netarts Bay
THREE
CAPES
SCENIC
LOOP
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Yaquina (yah-KWIH-nah) Head stands 162 feet above sea level.
At 93 feet, its tower is the tallest on the Oregon coast. Yaquina
Head was first illuminated in 1873; today it continues to aid
navigation. The lighthouse is part of Yaquina Head Outstanding
Natural Area, managed by the federal Bureau of Land
Management (BLM).
The Yaquina Head interpretive center is open daily 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Lighthouse tours are held daily during July and August
only. Tours may be reserved ahead of time via recreation.gov.
A daily or annual Yaquina Head pass, an Oregon Pacific Coast
Passport, or a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass
is required.
Pacific
City
Cape Kiwanda
Nestucca Bay
Cascade Head
Lincoln City
Siletz Bay
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
Depoe Bay
This is the second-oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon
coast. It was in service for only three years—1871 to 1874—
before the brighter Yaquina Head Lighthouse replaced
it. Yaquina Bay was re-lit and recognized as a privately
maintained aid to navigation by the U.S. Coast Guard in
1996. The lens sits 161 feet above the ocean.
Self-guided tours are free; donations accepted. The
lighthouse is open seven days a week, except major
holidays. Summer hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hours are
reduced during non-summer months. For more info call
541-265-4560 or 541-265-5679.
Cape Foulweather
Yaquina Head
Yaquina Head
Outstanding Natural Area
Newport
Yaquina Bay
Heceta Head Lighthouse
Waldport
This iconic lighthouse sits on the west side of 1,000-foot-high
Heceta Head, a nesting site for sea birds. Its 56-foot tower
rests 205 feet above the ocean and was first illuminated in
1894. Today its beacon shines 21 miles from land and is the
Cape
strongest light on the Oregon coast. The historic assistant
Perpetua
light keeper’s house, built in 1893, is a bed and breakfast.
(866-547-3696, hecetalighthouse.com)
The lighthouse is open year-round, weather and staffing
dependent. Large groups may schedule a tour in advance
by emailing heceta.h.lighthouse@oregon.gov. For more info
Heceta Head
call 541-547-3416. A state parks day-use parking permit or
Oregon Pacific Coast Passport is required.
Yachats
(Privately owned home)
Florence
Umpqua River Lighthouse
Umpqua is the second lighthouse to occupy this site. An
earlier structure built in 1857 was the first lighthouse sited on
the Oregon coast, but it succumbed to erosion in 1861. This
lighthouse is nearly identical to the one at Heceta Head, and
both lights were illuminated in 1894, but the Umpqua lens emits
distinctive red-and-white automated flashes.
The lighthouse structure and museum are open yearround 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A lighthouse tour is included
Winchester
Bay
with museum admission; $8 for adults, $4 for children
ages 5 to 17. Children under five are free. For more
info, call 541-271-1894.
Umpqua River
Reedsport
Lighthouse
Cape Arago Lighthouse
Cape Arago stands 100 feet above the ocean on
an islet just off Gregory Point. Its light is perched
atop a 44-foot-high tower and was first
Coos
illuminated in 1934. Although it is the newest
Bay
lighthouse on the coast, earlier structures
were built on the site in 1866 and 1908.
Cape Arago
Unfortunately, both buildings gave way to
weather and erosion.
The lighthouse is closed to the public, but
visitors can enjoy the best view of it from 1/4 mile
south of the Sunset Bay campground entrance.
Listen for the lighthouse’s unique foghorn.
Coquille River Lighthouse
North Bend
Coos
Bay
Coquille
River
Coquille River lighthouse was commissioned
in 1896 to guide mariners across a
dangerous bar. It was decommissioned
in 1939 following improvements to the
Cape
river channel and navigation
Blanco
technology. The light shines from
atop a 40-foot octagonal tower.
The interpretive center is open daily 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. May through September. There are
no formal tours, but park hosts are available
to answer questions. The lighthouse tower is
closed to the public due to safety concerns.
Information: 541-347-2209.
Bandon
Lighthouse
Campground
Open Year-Round
Port Orford
Day-Use
Parking Fee
Reservations
Available
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
Cape Blanco’s conical tower is perched 256
feet above sea level on Oregon’s westernmost
Gold Beach
point. It is the oldest standing lighthouse on
the Oregon coast, commissioned in 1870 to
Cape
Sebastian
aid shipping generated by gold mining and
the lumber industry.
Daily guided tours are offered 10 a.m. to 3
p.m. April through October (closed Tuesdays).
Cape
Information: capeblancoheritagesociety.com
Ferrelo
or 541-332-6774.
Brookings
All day-use areas are
open year-round.
(Privately owned home)
All schedules are subject to change without notice. Please call the numbers provided or the
Oregon State Parks Information line at 800-551-6949 to get the most up-to-date visitor information.
(Map not drawn to scale)