Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson & Zach Urness.Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon by Rhonda & George Ostertag.Hiking the Oregon Coast by Lizann Dunegan.Best Easy Day Hikes: Oregon’s North Coast by Lizann Dunegan.Search Trip Reports for Heceta Head Hike.Washburne Memorial State Park (Oregon State Parks) In 1775, Heceta was the first European to see the mouth of the Columbia River however, on this return part of the journey his crew was much reduced due to scurvy and a skirmish with the Quinault Indians, and they were unable to muster the strength to set anchor in the Columbia’s strong offshore current, so Heceta continued south to his home port of San Blas in Mexico. Heceta Head is named after the Basque explorer Bruno de Heceta, who, under the employ of the Spanish Crown, was directed to explore and claim for Spain new territory up the west coast of North America. In the month of May, migrating gray whales swim close to shore here, and this is a good vantage point to spot sea birds, such as brown pelicans, common murres, and gulls. From the lighthouse, you can look south to the Devils Elbow, Devils Elbow Beach, and the Cape Creek Bridge. Two oil houses greet you as you arrive at the lighthouse (oil stores were separated in case of an explosion), the second one now a small museum. There are tours given all year, but they no longer take you up to the Fresnel lens. It’s worth hiking up the trail to the second switchback to get an eye-level view of the Heceta Head Lighthouse’s first order Fresnel lens.Ĭontinue to the 1894 lighthouse, which has recently been restored to look more like its original self.
The road passes the Heceta Head Trail, which switchbacks numerous times up over the headland to the Hobbit Beach Trailhead, whence you can hike down to Hobbit Beach (see the Hobbit Beach to Heceta Head Hike). The views from the front yard take in the Cape Creek Bridge and picturesque Devils Elbow Beach.Ĭontinue up past a garage, which now hosts a gift shop, and look to your left down into a hidden cove. The existing house is now a bed and breakfast inn operated by National Forest concessionaires. The original chief lightkeeper’s house also once stood in this picket-fenced yard, but when the light was electrified, three keepers became unnecessary, and the house was sold as surplus and demolished in 1940. This was originally a duplex for the two assistant lightkeepers and their families. Reach the assistant lightkeeper’s house, built in 1893. On your left is a willow wetland, but soon you enter a woodland of Sitka spruce carpeted by false lily-of-the-valley and salal. Return to the parking area and take the trail, an old access road, that leads up past the restrooms. Conical Rock, composed of volcanic breccia and part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, can be seen just offshore, and there are a few tide pools that are worth exploring here at low tide. Next, hike the shoreline to the basalt cliffs of Heceta Head, and explore the small caves at its base. From this side of the beach you can get a good view up to the Heceta Head Lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper’s house, now a B & B. The two-tiered support design is modeled after a Roman aqueduct. The bridge is constructed of reinforced concrete and is 620 feet long, with a single span of 300 feet arching over the creek. You can hike up Cape Creek to view or pass under the Cape Creek Bridge, a 1932 structure designed by noted engineer Conde McCulllough. Note that the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint is the former Devils Elbow State Park.įrom the parking area, walk out to the beach, and stroll to your left. Its completion in 1894 filled the gap between the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Reedsport. The Heceta Head Lighthouse shines the brightest beam on the Oregon Coast, and it was also the last lighthouse built in the system. This short excursion allows you to view the impressive Cape Creek Bridge near a sharp inlet known as the Devils Elbow, stroll a small sandy beach and explore its tide pools and headland caves, and then hike up through spruce woods to visit a recently restored coastal lighthouse.
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