History/Info:
At the entrance to Winchester Bay and at the mouth of the Umpqua River, stands a sentinel of the ocean, casting its red and white beams of light some 20 miles out to sea. The 67-foot tower is situated on a hill 165 feet above sea level surrounded by US Coast Guard buildings and a Museum.

An earlier light structure, the first on the Oregon Coast, was built in 1857 on the sandy north spit of the river. It fell into the swollen water four years later during a storm when the water eroded away the sand.

The current lighthouse was started in 1890 and was illuminated in 1894. It is the sister lighthouse to the one at Heceta Head just a few miles north of Florence. Both structures were built from the same plans.

Source: Winchester Bay Merchants Association, Inc.

Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday 10-4, Sunday 1-4,  May 1 through September 30. Call (541) 271-4631 for current schedules and information.

Personal Notes:
If the person giving you the tour of the tower doesn't mention this, see if you can stick your head somewhat inside the fresnel lens. At least try and look straight up into it. You'll soon find an optical illusion. It'll appear that the lens isn't turning! Pretty wild. Give it a try.

Latitude/Longitude: 43°40'N 124°12'W

Directions: click here for map

• From US101 in Reedsport, turn west onto Lighthouse Rd. This is the entrance to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.
• Follow the road for about 1 mile until you come to parking across the street from the lighthouse. To purchase a ticket to tour the lighthouse you'll need to go to the lighthouse visitor's center which is about 200 yards further down the road.