If you go when the tide is well on its way back in (or out) you'll get to experience the "sound." As the tide surges in it pushes the pebbles and cobbles of the beach forward onto shore. Then as it surges back out it drags the rocks. This wave action creates a remarkable noise that consists of many thousands of rocks clicking and clacking together, simultaneously and overlapping. However, with the tide well in, you'll miss the tidal pools, and all they contain, so my best advice would be: go first when the tide is out to explore the tide pools, leave to explore the headland and other areas of the coast, and return with the tide.
The long staircase down to the beach is a welcome addition to those of us who used to have to slide down the long slope one direction and claw our way back up the other. The cobbles of the beach are lava rock, worn smooth by wave action. Time was you could collect one as a memento, but this is no longer permitted. You can collect as much driftwood as you want. I've found some really great pieces here -- nature's sculpture.
The sea lions are those blobs laying about on the larger rock formations relatively close in to shore. Mostly they are very lazy beasts, but occasionally you can see them cavorting in the water.
There is a museum/interpretive center on the headland in a sort of bowl area, the result of the removal of a large quantity of rock for gravel before the headland as a whole became protected.
The lighthouse itself is the tallest in Oregon, and if you make it all the way to the top (110 of 114 steps) you can closely examine the first order Fresnel (pronounced fray-Nell ) lens. Every light has its own unique pattern of on and off timing (called its characteristic) which, checked against entries in a mariner's master lights log, can identify exactly where your ship (and you) are on planet Earth at that specific moment, a little known secondary purpose of lighthouses. The volunteers here have lots of info -- all you need do is ask. The light is now automated.
Quarry Cove Tide Pools, the only wheelchair accessible tide pools in the world, are below the lower parking area. This second set of pools are artificial, man-made constructions, that were not fully established or thriving when last I checked.
Open: Dawn to dusk. Lighthouse: 12-4pm, weather permitting. Interpretive Center: 10am-5pm & 10-4 in winter.
Admission: Day use permit of $5, good for 72 hours, and up to 9 persons per vehicle.
Location: North end of Newport, off Highway 101.
Contact: 541-574-3100, or080mb@or.blm.gov
Websites: Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Lighthouse BLM site. Lighthouse NPS site. Yaquina Lights Also covers the Bay Light.
Tide Tables