Heceta Head was a spot of frequent fishing and hunting by the American Indian tribes that populated the area and is part of the Siuslaw Indians’ traditional lands, known in their language as ɫtúwɪs. Now it’s a tourist attraction.
Heceta Head is named for Bruno de Heceta, a Spanish navigator and explorer, who surveyed the Oregon coast in 1775. The lighthouse was constructed between 1892 and 1893 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Perched atop 1,000-foot-high Heceta Head, the lighthouse is one of the most photographed on the coast and we took our own photos. The light atop the 56-foot tower was first illuminated in 1894. Its automated beacon, seen 21 miles from land, is rated as the strongest light on the Oregon coast.
We parked way back in the RV lot since we were towing the trailer on our way to Newport. From there we hiked along the creek and under the highway bridge to get to the beach. The trail climbing up to the lighthouse starts right at the beach. It’s lush and green and not what you think of if you’ve only seen the beaches in Southern California. After looking around at the base of the lighthouse we climbed the trail to a little perch across from the light at the top and got a top down view also.
This isn’t the only lighthouse we will visit on our trip up the coast so stay tuned.
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