A Popular Site To Visit - Yaquina Head Lighthouse

This lighthouse was built in 1873. Its tower at 93-feet is the tallest of any on the Oregon coast. The light stands 162-feet above sea level and is automated. It serves as an aid to navigation along the west coast and entrance to Yaquina Bay. The light from the first-order Fresnel lens is visible for 19-miles out to sea and is still an active light. The lighthouse and its site are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, while the lighthouse lens and light are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse has always been popular with visitors. As an example, as far back as 1938 officials recorded close to 12,000 visitors that year. This lighthouse was the fourth most visited lighthouse in the U.S. Yaquina Head was reported as one of the best maintained lighthouses on the west coast. To help maintain that record, keepers asked visitors to take off their shoes before they walked on the marble rotunda and climbed the 114-steps of the stairway.

Ships passing close to Yaquina Head reported their compasses would not function properly. This may seem very eerie, but there is an explanation. The land in front of where the lighthouse sits contains a vein of magnetized iron, and when a ship passes too close a traditional compass will not give an accurate reading.

South of the lighthouse, at the beautiful waters edge, are tide pools where sea stars, hermit crabs, purple urchins, and other sea life can at times be seen. This lighthouse is still a very popular tourist attraction and now receives over 400,000 visitors a year. It is only open to the public during daylight hours. I enjoyed my visit there in 1999.