Yaquina Head- Newport, OR

The full name for this BLM beauty is Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. And this is true. It is outstanding. It is outstandingly scenic, and for $7.00 a car, it is an outstanding value. You can easily spend all day exploring the historic lighthouse, hiking the park’s many trails, scanning tidepools, and watching whales as they migrate down to Mexico. There are also harbor seals, but they can’t be bothered to do much once they secure a spot on a rock.

The current park can be traced back to June 8, 1866, when President Andrew Johnson signed an executive order setting aside 19 acres for the construction of Yaquina Head lighthouse. The opening of the Oregon and California Trails ushered in a boom of Pacific maritime commerce in the mid 1800’s, and these ships needed lighthouses to guide the way. Yaquina Head was the perfect location for a lighthouse; a high bluff overlooking the craggy coast, with basalt below ensuring a solid foundation. No one wants their lighthouse to tumble into the sea.

On August 20, 1873, the lighthouse was illuminated for the first time. The entire complex consisted of the lighthouse, a two story keepers house, a barn and several outbuildings. Attendants would live on site, manning and maintaining the light until the process was automated in 1966. Another job lost to technology.

Today, you can tour the lighthouse, but it is amazing popular, and you must stop at the Interpretative Center to get a timed ticket. I am sure it is lovely inside, but the massive crowd assembled by the front door prevented me from ever finding out. For my own sanity, I am going to assume that the lighthouse was built austerely, in a purely utilitarian fashion, and I missed nothing by not cramming myself inside with 50 other people. The exterior views were adequate for me, and honestly, the views of the shoreline from the bluff steal the show.

You will probably be in a hurry to leave the bluff however, as it is home to very persistent seaweed flies. They don’t appear to bite, but also are not afraid to land on you en masse. And are not deterred by flailing limbs. At all. Sadly, they seem to inhabit most areas of the park, so covering up may be your best defense. In any event, it is absolutely worth the annoyance.

Not far from the lighthouse are steps that lead down to Cobble Beach. You must not miss this area. The beach consists of thousands of cobblestones that lead right down to the tidepools. These round softball sized rocks are impossible to walk on, and you will stumble. Everyone does. It is like walking on ball bearings. The tidepools however, are amazing. The water is exceptionally clear, and you can easily spot sea urchins, amenomes and starfish, all in a dazzling array of colors.

Off the coast are several rocks where harbor seals bask in the sun, and occasionally shift. They don’t seem to do much after they claim their territory for the day, although there is an occasional dust up, which ends in the loser taking a swim. There are also a wide variety of water birds found here, including cormorants, gulls, surf scoters and brown pelicans. Bring your binoculars if such things interest you, as they keep their distance, and nest safely in rookeries offshore. No sightings of the tufted puffin though, which might as well be a unicorn as far as I’m concerned.

This park clearly has a lot going on, and there is something for just about everyone. Except for those who hate nature and historic structures. Feel free to leave those people at home, and reassess your relationship with them, because they sound awful.

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