First off, if you received a post about Kauai in your inbox last Sunday-ish, I’m so sorry! An inexplicable WordPress gremlin managed to post that one again. Ugh. Technology some days. Okay, onto the real fun for today!

Maybe it’s obvious from our previous trips to Warrior Rock or Cape Disappointment, but there’s something I can’t help but appreciate when it comes to lighthouses.

You can watch the video from our Cape Blanco adventure HERE!

Little did we know when we arrived, but there’s actually a parking lot right next to the lighthouse. Instead, we parked in the bigger lot, just less than a mile away, and enjoyed a leisurely stroll to the tip of the Cape (FYI: no parking on the small road to the lighthouse).

A few fun facts about the lighthouse:

• It’s the oldest one in Oregon, opening in December of 1870, and still operating today.
• It’s at the western-most point in Oregon (and second western-most point of the contiguous U.S.).
• It has a $2/person tour! Only four people at a time can go up to the top with the lens.

Full disclosure: the highest I went in the lighthouse was the watch-tower. Ben went up to the lens and took some amazing pictures (obviously). Heights, lots of glass, and no middle piece that I can latch onto for dear life, all a recipe for extreme discomfort.

Of course, being on an unobstructed piece of land, it was pretty darn windy, but the views were spectacular. Don’t let the wind keep you away, just pack a jacket.

There is also a campground nearby, and you can actually walk to the lighthouse from the campground! There’s also a place called the “Hughes House,” which gives a free tour of a REALLY old house owned by the Hughes’ — early settlers to the area. One of their sons was actually a lighthouse keeper for Cape Blanco. If you want to keep up the historic tour, there’s even a Pioneer Cemetery in between the Hughes House and the Lighthouse. In any case, the area is rich in Oregon history, and I highly recommend it!

Happy Hiking!