Travelogue

Heceta Head LighthouseContinuing our drive up the coast, we made our second must-see stop for the day at Milepost 178.3, the Heceta Head Lighthouse. There is actually a viewpoint at Milepost 179, where the iconic shots of this lighthouse are taken, but we kind of missed that. Instead we pulled into the originally planned parking lot for the trail up to the lighthouse.

It was easy to see why this is the most photographed lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. The lighthouse sits 200 feet above the ocean, perched on the western end of beautiful 1,000-foot high Heceta Head.

We took the short trail up the western end of the headland towards the lighthouse. We first came to the Lighthouse Keeper’s Quarters, a lovely white house, with a traditional red roof, and people happily mingling on the beautiful old porch that extended the length of the house. I love old houses and their porches and immediately wanted to figure out how I could be on it too. This was not to be, however, as I soon learned that the Keeper’s Quarters is a bed and breakfast, and these lucky people were paying customers. Mental note: add staying at Heceta Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast to Bucket List.

After gazing enviously over the white picket fence a little longer, Herb nudged me along to the lighthouse, where we took many photos of it and the beautiful headlands.

A very lovely stop indeed.

Description

Lolo at Base of Heceta Head LighthouseHeceta Head Lighthouse is located at milepost 178.3, about 13 miles north of Florence. Perched on the western end of 1,000-foot high Heceta Head, 205 feet above the sea, this lighthouse is the most photographed one on the Oregon Coast. Its beacon can be seen 21 miles from land, making it the strongest light on the Oregon Coast.

In 1978, the lighthouse and keepers quarters was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and engineering significance.

A short trail leads from the parking lot to the historic lighthouse and the assistant lighthouse keeper’s house. Today the lighthouse keeper’s house is a bed and breakfast operated by a concessionaire of the U.S. Forest Service.