A Washington Beauty - New Dungeness Lighthouse

This lighthouse was built in 1857 and is uniquely located at the end of the 5-mile long Dungeness Spit along the northern coast of Washington. This spit is the largest natural sand hook in the nation. The lighthouse is the oldest beacon north of the Columbia River. In 1927 the Fresnel lens from the Admiralty Lighthouse was given to New Dungeness.

At the time of my visit here in 1999, the light was automated and volunteers operated the lighthouse daily to include giving tours to visitors. Volunteers worked for a month at a time and were transported to and from the lighthouse via four wheeled drive vehicles. Visitors to this lighthouse truly have to want to see it because of its location. The morning that my first wife and I visited here, there was a heavy fog so visibility was maximum of 200-feet. It was a hard walk and fatigue set in before we arrived at the lighthouse due to sand of the spit being deep and soft. After the 5-mile walk in the fog and mist, our hair and clothing were wet like we had been out in the rain. Although the fog lifted a little by the time we arrived at the lighthouse, it was still very visible as shown in the above picture. That same 5-mile walk back to the truck seemed like 10-miles, but I have never regretted my visit to the New Dungeness Lighthouse.