Cape Blanco and the Lighthouses On The Oregon Coast

Letters from a Wanderer No 13

Jul 05, 2024

Lighthouses still stand as a glimpse into the past, but also as sentinels on rugged coasts, helping ships navigate the dangerous cliffs, reefs, and rocks. They serve as a beacon for navigation, marking dangers close to shore. Sailors relied on them much more in the past, when they used them as we use a GPS today, since lighthouses, with their unique signature flashes, helped them understand their location.

Cape Blanco State Park is home to the westernmost lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, one that I revisited with my family during our latest road trip.

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Since on my family’s latest trip to the Oregon Coast we revisited one of the lighthouses, I thought it would be a good idea to write about them in today’s newsletter.

A few years ago, we visited most of the lighthouses on the Oregon coast - at least those open to visitors. I found their history fascinating! So I researched a bit, learned about them, and I wrote an article about them on Wanderer Writes. Read it by clicking the link below:

Lighthouses on the Oregon Coast

Cape Blanco

It wasn’t our first time at Cape Blanco State Park. As always, it was extremely windy there. No matter when we visited, the wind was always howling, usually so strong, I’d feel it would knock me over the cliffs if I stood too close to the edge.

I could barely open the car door on one side, while on the other the wind almost took the door off the hinges when we opened it. Once out in the open, I could barely stand upright. Not only strong, the wind was also cold. Which felt good after the extreme heat of the desert we came from, and I was happy to wear my jacket/windbreaker, usually sitting in a closet.

View from Cape Blanco OR — The view from Cape Blanco

Walking up from the parking lot to the lighthouse took me forever with the headwind - and slight elevation gain. We were the only ones on the trail, though on our way back we did see a few other visitors.

The quarter-mile trail from the gate to the lighthouse is paved, so easy to walk, though it is a bit steep, and the constant wind might make it uncomfortable to walk. But the views are gorgeous on both sides, and the lighthouse is worth a closer look.

If you are there at the right time, it may even be open to visitors.

The Lighthouse

Built in 1870, Cape Blanco Lighthouse is the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast. A two-room house adjacent to it was the home of its keepers until 1939, when the coast guard took over.

Speaking of keepers, Cape Blanco was home to the first woman lighthouse keeper on the coast, who started her job there in 1903. The keepers job was to keep the light on from sunset to sunrise every night; which included not only burning the light, but keeping the huge Fresnel lens clean and polished.

I was fascinated by the Fresnel lens since I first saw one at the Yaquina Head lighthouse, also on the Oregon Coast. Developed by Fresnel in 1822, the lens consists of a series of prisms on a huge frame. Prisms focus scattered light rays in one powerful beam. So, combining hundreds of glass prisms into one huge unit enhances the brightness of the light. But these individual units of different sizes also move, which offers the possibility of adding patterns to the light beam.

These patterns, added to the strength of the light beam, act as a map, a GPS for sailors who see them, since each lighthouse has its own individual pattern.

But you can’t see a Fresnel lens at Cape Blanco. When the lighthouse got electricity, in 1936, they replaced it with a newer design, rotating lens.

You can still see a Fresnel lens in several other lighthouses though - they are worth a look.

You’ll reach the Cape Blanco lighthouse at the end of the five-mile long, desolate Cape Blanco road off the coastal highway 101, about 60 miles north of the California-Oregon border. During our latest visit we stopped there after staying the night in Gold Beach. However, the closest town to it is Bandon, just 20 miles north. During previous visits, we used Bandon as a starting point.

Other Lighthouses on the Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is home to 11 lighthouses, some of which are open to visitors at certain times. Besides Cape Blanco, some of my other favorites are:

Heceta Lighthouse, near Florence. Built in 1894, it is still a working lighthouse, open for visits. It also operates as a bed and breakfast. I’ve never stayed there, but visited the lighthouse years ago, and learned about its history.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport is the tallest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. Built in 1873, it is a working lighthouse, in Yaquina Bay Outstanding Natural Area. When visiting, make sure you have enough time for tidepooling on its beach. We visited the lighthouse, climbing to the top and marveling at the enormous Fresnel Lens, then spending time on the pebble beach tidepooling.
Cape Meares Lighthouse near Tillamook is the shortest lighthouse on the coast. Built in 1890, it is no longer a working lighthouse, but open to visitors at certain times, offering a glimpse into the history of the coast. It is worth a visit since it’s in the Cape Meares Natural Refuge Area, home to old-growth forests, the famous Octopus Tree, thousands of nesting seabirds along the rocks near the shore, and offers spectacular views of the Pacific. We visited it several times, mostly to enjoy its gorgeous surroundings.

A few years ago, I wrote a more in-depth article about the lighthouses on the Oregon Coast, with focus on those my family visited over the years, on Wanderer Writes. You’ll also find photos of the lighthouses and the Fresnel lens in the article. If interested, you can read it by clicking the link below:

The Oregon Lighthouses