More Oregon Lighthouses and Attractions

The coast of Oregon is a place of magnificent beauty. Driftwood cluttering the beaches, stacks stubbornly taking a stand against the turbulent sea, sand dunes piling higher and higher, and tall evergreen trees defending the land against the might of the storm. We travel the Oregon coast in the fall while visiting family. We like to follow US 101 because we can enjoy the many views of the ocean and seashore. On our way we stop at casinos to try our luck. The Mill Casino and Hotel in North Bend, OR, owned and operated by the Coquille Indians, is a favorite.

At no charge we joined their Millionaires Club. It entitled us to a room for the night for $60 as long as we had more than 100 earned points on our card. It doesn’t take much time on a slot machine to get that many points. The discount is also good for their restaurants. The room was expensively decorated in country furniture, Indian motif wall paper and a luxurious wool Indian design Pendleton bedspread kept us warm at night. The bathroom also carried out the Indian motif in the raised tiles and color. We had a window with a bay view. Occasionally a large fish would leap out of the water. Logs out in the bay were jammed against the islands waiting to be milled.

In the morning, after my husband won over $100 on a straight flush, we took advantage of our discount at their Plank House Restaurant. It was a pleasure to have a view of the bay while we dined. A large stone fireplace gave a feeling of warmth to the lounge in the lobby. Luxurious upholstered furniture was arranged around it so we could enjoy the fire while looking out at the bay. Wynona was being featured in the Entertainment Pavilion, but we had to move on.

Just north of Florence, OR, on US101 we went past the Sea Lion Caves and stopped at the scenic overlook on the left. From here you can get an excellent view of Heceta Head Lighthouse and the keeper's house. Located in the middle of a steep tree filled mountain side 205' above the sea this beacon of light, coming from a first order Fresnel lamp, has been sending its signal since 1894. I counted a flash at ten second intervals. It is a sister and a duplicate to the Umpqua River Light in Winchester Bay, OR.

The lighthouse opens on Memorial Day and closes on Labor Day so we weren't able to go inside. The keeper's house is open year round and is a bed and breakfast. Rooms start at $150. per night. It's a good idea to make reservations in advance. It's a beautiful big house with luxurious rooms with a great view of the sea. It would be exciting to see the light lit at night. There is a gift shop in the keeper's house.

Once you leave the scenic overlook go north on US 101. Go through the tunnel and over the bridge. The turn for Heceta Head Lighthouse Park is on the left not too far after the bridge. The park is a great way to enjoy the day when you're out in the area and it is also necessary to park there and climb the trail leading to the lighthouse if your intending to go to see it or stay in the keeper's house.

In the park right next to the ocean there is a nice beach. Driftwood is everywhere. I noticed a park ranger putting out a campfire made from driftwood. Someone had started it illegally. Forest fires were a real hazard at that time. I asked her if picking up driftwood and taking it home was allowed. She said it was but you have to be able to carry it. You can't use heavy equipment to pick it up. Some of the driftwood is exceptionally pretty because it's twisted and gnarled.

In this park there are picnic tables and public restrooms. Some people were out in the ocean surfing.

A mile south of Heceta Head Lighthouse are the Sea Lion Caves. The gift shop is right on the edge of the road, high on a cliff over the ocean, on US 101 ten miles north of Florence, OR. Parking is on both sides of the road. The caves were discovered by William Cox in 1880. An elevator was installed in 1961. We could view the ocean from the windows of the gift shop or from a viewing station behind it but to take the elevator 208’ down to the caves we had to pay an admission fee of $7 per person. Children $4.50. We opted for the elevator.

Inside the cave we were able to see the Steller sea lions while we were standing 30 feet above. The cave takes on some nice coloring from the affects of moisture on the walls. A heavy fence prevents tourists from falling to the rocks below. Not too many sea lions were interested in being inside the cave while we were there but it was nice to see a few of them in their natural habitat anway. We could see the entrance of the cave from the ocean and endless waves splashing against the rocks. The animals came and went at will.

They’re more likely to be inside in the winter months. They like the rocks at the entrance of the cave in the warmer weather. There is an excellent sea lion viewing station south on US 101 only one half mile away. We have also seen sea lions up close on platforms in Newport, OR, next to the wharf in the historic area. They can be seen swimming near most rocky areas next to the shore in that part of Oregon. The excitement is being able to see them behave inside the cave.

We explored the cave and found an opening in the north wall. It gave us a really good view of Heceta Head Lighthouse and the steep evergreen tree covered mountains as they came down to meet the turbulent sea below. The Sea lion caves open at 9am all year.

Four miles north of Port Orford on US 101 we turned onto Cape Blanco Road and followed it to Cape Blanco Light, Oregon’s oldest lighthouse. Since 1971 the entire area, including 47 acres originally purchased for the lighthouse and 1900 acres, including a dairy farm once owned and operated by the Hughes family, has been known as Cape Blanco State Park. Cows graze in the pasture near the Sixes River that runs through the park and deer run wild along the winding isolated road.

The excellent condition of all the buildings in the park are exceptional. They were recently restored. One of the original outbuildings near the lighthouse serves as a gift shop. The friendly volunteers liked to talk about the many aspects associated with running and restoring the lighthouse and other buildings. When we entered the workroom that is attached to the light tower a $2 donation was expectedd for the privilege of climbing the sixty-four antiquated metal steps leading up to the light. Only a few people at a time were allowed in the glassed in cage around the light, so we waited on the platform below for our turn.

Another interpreter in the cage was ready to explain the cage and lens. In 1870 when the lighthouse was completed a fixed first order Fresnel lens had been used giving a steady beam of light. In 1936 a new rotating lens, built in France by Henry LaPaute, replaced the original. The new lens provides a flash every twenty seconds. An electric light bulb replaced the sooty oil lamp. We could see the lit 1000-watt light bulb through the eight-sided bull's eye prisms of the rotating lens. The day was foggy so our view out to sea was limited.

Outside the wind was blowing a gale. The guide said it goes from bad to worse and is one of the reasons the park is only opened from April to October. This is Oregon’s southernmost lighthouse, but also its westernmost light. Because Cape Blanco juts so far out into the ocean it experiences dramatic weather conditions.

The park is open from 10am to 3:30pm. The grounds are closed to visitors except during regular visiting hours.

Finding the Cape Arago Lighthouse was a challenge. Finally, stopping at an Oregon Information Center on US 101 in North Bend, I was given a street map and good instructions. The lighthouse is on an Island and there is only a footbridge to the island. The footbridge is unsafe so the Coast Guard doesn’t allow the public to use it even if they could actually find it.

We found sight of the lighthouse by going south on US 101 in North Bend, OR and, at the traffic light after the Mill Casino, turned right onto Newmark Ave. We went 3.7 miles to the end of Newmark Ave. and turned left onto Empire St. that becomes Cape Arago Highway. We went 7.7 miles (over a bridge and straight through the center of Charleston) to Sunset Park. We went past the entrance to the park and a short distance down the road there is a parking lot on the right. We parked there and walked to the lookout on the right of the parking lot.

My first sight of the lighthouse was like a dream. I saw it in the far distance through a window in the fog. Not too far from it were a group of trees. As we watched, the fog lifted and we could see the lighthouse was on a long flat bare piece of land (it doesn’t look like and island from the lookout) surrounded by rocky cliffs. The trees were on a stack not too far from the island.

The beacon from the lighthouse flashes a signal at three intervals: 30 seconds, flash, 8 seconds, flash, 8 more seconds, flash. The lens is solar powered, a far cry from the sooty oil lamp that was used inside the fourth order Fresnel lens used in the first lighthouse, built in 1866 on that unreliable piece of land. The first lighthouse was replaced in 1909 because the land under it eroded. The second lighthouse met the same fate. The present lighthouse was built in 1934. It has a concrete octagonal tower 44 feet high allowing the beacon to shine over 100 feet above sea level. It can be seen 20 miles out at sea. It is intended to warn sailors of the rocky ledge in the area and inform them of the entrance to Coos Bay. A foghorn house is attached to the lighthouse tower.