Oregon Coast Lighthouses
Information about the Oregon Coast Lighthouses:
There are eleven lighthouses on the Oregon Coast and nine of them are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Oregon Coast Visitors Guide recommends the lighthouses highly. They have a lot of history attached to them, and every single one is unique and special in its own way.
The stories about how they were built, what they became after they were decommissioned, what life was like for the light keepers, and so many more interesting topics associated with the Oregon Coast lighthouses, make them very fascinating.
The lighthouses have incredible views of the ocean and surrounding coast for obvious reasons. Many of them are also located next to some of Oregon's premier wildlife viewing areas. Visit some of these lighthouses and get up-close looks at birds nesting, whales out in the ocean, and some of Oregon's most beautiful scenery.
Explore the lighthouses on these pages and then go visit them all. It will be a great experience.
Oregon Coast Lighthouses App
Use this interactive app to learn where the nine Oregon Coast Lighthouses are located on a map and click on any annotation on the map to learn more about that particular lighthouse.
Cape Arago Lighthouse
The newest lighthouse in terms of service can be found in North Bend.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
This lighthouse is on the westernmost point in the state of Oregon.
Cape Meares Lighthouse
The shortest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast.
Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse
An old lighthouse operator decided to build his own private lighthouse.
Coquille River Lighthouse
Not used since 1939, but it has a nice interpretive center.
Heceta Head Lighthouse
This one has the strongest light and can be seen 21 miles offshore.
Oregon Coast Lighthouses Map
Map of all the Oregon Coast lighthouses.
Port of Brookings Lighthouse
Privatly owned and operated lighthouse on the Oregon Coast's most southern city.
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse
This lighthouse is a storage place for dead people.
Umpqua River Lighthouse
When they first buildt this one, it fell into the river.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
This lighthouse was only operational for four years back in the 1870s. Find out why!
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
The tallest lighthouse you can find along the Oregon Coast.
Oregon Coast Lighthouses Stats
Oregon Coast lighthouses stats.
Oregon Coast Lighthouse pamphlet
Great pamphlet that you can download.
Lighthouses and Life-Saving on the Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast has been the site of shipwrecks even before Lewis and Clark’s arrival in 1805. Even as the population grew, the federal government let the Oregon Coast go unguarded by lighthouses and lifesavers for decades. Economic and political pressures finally forced the government to build the first Oregon lighthouse in 1857 at the Umpqua River.
The LifeSaving Service followed in 1878 with a station at the mouth of Coos Bay. Eventually, most of the harbor entrances and headlands were protected by both the Lighthouse Service and the LifeSaving Service, the precursor to today’s Coast Guard. Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast commemorates the true heroes who served to warn, protect, and rescue those who went to sea.
Why are lighthouses so tall?
Lighthouses must be tall in order for the light to be seen around the curvature of the Earth. If the Earth were flat, rather than round, then lighthouses could be shorter.
Lighthouses open to public
The are seven lighthouses along the Oregon Coast that are open to the public. They are Cape Blanco (Port Orford), Cape Meares (Tillamook), Coquille River (Bandon), Heceta Head (Florence), Umpqua River (Reedsport), Yaquina Bay, and Yaquina Head (Newport).
Oregon Coast Shipwrecks
The lighthouses did not succeed in saving all ships along the coast.
Check out Oregon Coast Shipwrecks