Yaquina Head Lighthouse

If you’re driving along the Oregon coast, this is a fun little stop to make. You have to pay $ 7 to get in, and for whatever reason they’re incredibly slow at letting people in. But once you’re in, it’s just a short drive along a cliffside road to get to the lighthouse, which has some great views of the ocean. You could also just walk from the center where there is a pretty big parking lot; it’s just a short hike down. You can take a tour of the lighthouse, but I heard it takes around 30 – 45 minutes, so you may not want to if you’re just passing through town and are making a quick stop like I did.
There are plenty of vantage points within the park so you can see the lighthouse from different angles. But as nice as the lighthouse is, the impressive views of the Pacific are the true highlight of this place. Many people choose to hike around the area and get views all over the place, but you’ll have plenty to be amazed by already if you’re just staying in one spot.

Love it here, it’s a traditional family stop anytime we make it to Newport. Check the tide Scheduled and go during low tide… even better, a minus tide. Experience real tide pools full of creatures in their natural environment. The light house tour is very interesting, although once you have done it once or twice no need to go again. My kids always enjoy climbing the 114 steps to the top. Check out the Interpretive center for some interesting information and fun.

Visited the lighthouse and attended one of the tours. Overall was a pleasant experience however nothing really stood out. For me, the viewpoint wasn’t anything special, while my partner enjoyed the view the most-​I preferred the architectural design on the stairs. The tour guide was friendly and honest which was nice. The rooms smells a bit stale which was expected, the walk to the top goes pretty quickly. It is narrow, and the few steps to the actual viewpoint seems smaller too. You only get to look out briefly. Tour is about 45 minutes long. Opt to walk to the lighthouse (only 10 – 15 minutes from the center) by the way, I found that MUCH nicer.

The interpretive center was the best, admittedly I didn’t venture far into the museum because I spotted a table that had 19^th century children’s games that allowed you to play with them. Turns out guiding a wooden hoop with a stick is harder than it looks. I heard the rest of the center was fine, but to me as long as there is an interactive area such as the 19^th century games then I’m content. The view from the lighthouse is incredible, you can see a huge swath of ocean and little inlets. After watching for a while we saw a harbor seal swimming around. There were a lot of people attempting to whale watch, fun tip, yell ‘I see a whale’ to get everyone riled up. Unfortunately we were unable to get to tour the lighthouse because it was already full.

I love places like this. I would like to take a trip up and down the pac northwest coast just to see all the lighthouses.
It is a pay to park area but the tour is free and the view is magnificent. Highly recommended.

It’s so beautiful here!!! I loved it! I think I am more amazed by it because I’m from Cali and we just don’t have all the beautiful scenic stuff, not like Oregon.
I didn’t get to take a tour of the lighthouse, but definitely enjoyed the scenery!
Will return next time I visit Oregon!

I think I must have said «Oregon is so freaking pretty!» about 1000 times already. This cute lighthouse is no exception. A couple places to walk around a bit but the coastal view here is breathtaking.

On a whim we stopped here to check out the lighthouse. Its up a quick and easy access road right off the highway so that’s a plus for anyone not wanting to venture off the beaten path.
Entrance was $ 7 for a 3 day pass. Parking was limited up at the lighthouse but there was plenty down at the info center.
The area is clean and beautiful, perfect for anyone to visit. We saw thousands of birds and even saw 3 deals, one was a pup learning to swim! We also took the short stroll down to the Rocky beach area and enjoyed seeing all the beautiful black pebbles and shells lining the shore.
The only thing that they need to do here is add bathrooms up by the lighthouse area.
We will definitely make this stop a regular!

Awesome trip, places to hike by tide pools and up the hill behind the visitor center. Took the tour and climbed the 114 steps inside the lighthouse, watched the seals and saw some whales! Family really enjoyed the day!

This was one of my favorite stops in the Newport area. Lots of history, and great views of the ocean! We got some killer pics!

This is just stunningly beautiful. The lighthouse, beach, whales, seals and more. It’s $ 7.00 for a 3 day pass. You should get there early if you want the guided lighthouse tour. They are very popular and limited number of daily tours and limited number of people per tour. The tour is on first come first serve so get there early, no advanced reservations. The walk to the light house is beautiful and an excellent view of the Pacific Ocean for whales and seals. This is an excellent place for scenic photos, breathtaking views and history. This is a great place to stop by if you’re on hwy 101 on the Oregon Coast!

Gorgeous views of the coastline, and the tour is very interesting.

This is an incredible historic monument providing plenty of photo oppotunities. Their also is a museam showing the history of the light house and even has a film you can sit and watch with a souvenir shop. The wind does tend to blow incredibly hard so you may want to bring a wind breaker. Their is a staircase providing access to the tide pools below. This is great for people wanting to experience local marine life first hand. For anyone staying in the area i highly recommend visiting the lighthouse. They do charge seven dollars for parking which is minimal considering how much there is to do.
Woohoo ! As good as it gets !!

We went twice. Once upon opening, and that was our favorite. Whales were spouting, arching, and flipping up their tales. Fog bank was in and it was very windy and misty, but still able to see a lot.
We went later in the day to check out the tidepools. It’s pretty neat, but crowded during that time.
There is also a wind tunnel created between two rock jetties. You’ll get blasted especially if it’s a windy day.
The rocks at the beach are incredible. Read about them when you get there.
Restroom facilities are available.
Lots of steps down to the beach. We were fine (without being in the best of shape), but one of our kids had to be carried. We also noticed some elderly not willing to make the trek down, but were still able to see the whales from the overlooks.

I’m not all that into light houses, but this one looks pretty awesome, plus it is surrounded by some amazing views of the Oregon coast. From birds to seals to pretty flowers it’s a nice place to stop and look around. If you’re a movie buff and like seeing film sets, this is the lighthouse they used in filming The Ring so it’s a tad creepy. The tours weren’t open the day I was there so no comment on that. Overall, pretty nice and worth it if you’re traveling up/​down the 101. I’d suggest also stopping at the Yaquina Head Interpretive Center for a history lesson and a cool museum.

Like others before me have said this tour is worth the $ 7 admission to this natural area. Sue and I came over to check out the tide pools and were happy to find out that they had a tour of the Lighthouse. Free with your admission to the park if you were wondering.
We wandered around the grounds a bit before the tour started. Checked out some of those tide pools while the tide wasn’t fully back in. Had to deal with kelp flies. They were a nuisance and apparently pooped on Sue’s jacket. Were able to see some starfish and sea anemones. Guess there were some seals around to look at, but we didn’t go that far down the rocky beach.
The main reason to come here is for the beautiful (and still working) Lighthouse. Our tour guide was dressed up like a woman from the 1800’s. She spoke of the history of the Lighthouse as well as the daily chores a lighthouse keeper (and his assistant) would be tasked to do on any given day. We made the long climb up to the top where more history was given and then we were able to take a few more steps to the very top to see the light.
All in all a very wonderful experience and our tour guide was most knowledgeable.

Yaquina Head is a historic lighthouse with lots of character to it and a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean.
Unbeknownst to me, there was a $ 7.00 entrance fee and a 15-​minute wait while a steady line of cars ahead of us waited to pay. I’m not sure why this was such a slow process.
It took us another 15 minutes to hike from the visitor center to the lighthouse itself, which was much more time than my itinerary allowed for, but the view was worth it. Once we got to the lighthouse itself, I realized that we could have actually driven. Oh well, we would have missed out on the scenic walk.
Even in late May, it was cold and very windy on the hike up to Yaquina Head. I was happy to have my pullover with me.

Very cool Wildlife Area.
$ 7.50 entrance fee (free bike/​pedestrian traffic) to get into the park area
Lighthouse house hours showed 12:00 to 4:00,but wasn’t open on the 1^st day we rolled through.
Tide pools are defiantly not to be missed.
It was high tide the two morning I rode my bike in, so we walked the tide pools the next day (the pass is good for 3 days).
Very interesting place.

Now we’re talking. This lighthouse is the grandest on the Oregon coast and I’m so happy to report that it has been beautifully maintained. It was freshly painted just prior to my visit so it was a sleek black-​and-​white beauty.
It is a huff-​and-​puff lighthouse with a 93 foot tower, so be prepared to walk up many steps. You don’t climb the stairs for the view outside. You climb to see the unique Fresnel lens… 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, 2 seconds on, 14 seconds off, 24 hours a day. One person at a time can go up the extra stairs from the upper landing and poke their head in the lantern room. For me, this is a magical experience to see the prisms of light.
While waiting to ascend the staircase, the docent gave a little talk about life in the lighthouse with a few display items. If you aren’t a lighthouse geek like me, you might not want to wait in line to climb the tower. Just enjoy its beauty from the outside. Some of the best tidal pools in the area are located on the beach below.
The entire Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is lovely and well worth the $ 7 day use fee. The lighthouse is just the most obvious of its features.

This is the ultimate coastal lighthouse experience! I felt like I just stepped into a Nautica or J. Crew ad. The entire coastal area within the lightouse is very rugged and rocky with surprises with a large variety of coastal birds on the rocky islands. I would never imagine that I would ever get to experience going inside and up top a real full functioning vintage style old school lighthouse. My Dad was reading some attractions for Newport in a travel magazine, he found out about this lighthouse. I wasn’t too excited because most lighthouses I visited do not let the general public to go inside the lighhouse or up the lighted area on the top. Well, Yaquina Head Lighthouse lets you do all that! Also, the views are out of this world. There is a ton of wildlife all over the lighthouse and it’s like something from Discovery Channel or National Geographic TV. I saw hundreds or even thousands of birds that looked like penguins on the rocks. Totally unreal, but real!!! This was one of the favourite parts of the Oregon Coast!!! This place is jawdropping and you’ll say WOW! once you arrive.
Note: There are a lot of kelp flies around the lighthouse that aren’t afraid of humans and they will land on your head, face, neck, clothes, and even cameras. Also, Yaquina Head Lighthouse is on federal land so there is a 7 dollar per car admission fee. Totally worth it though!