#Newport tidal pools full#

The day I visited the park, it was stormy, as I mentioned, so I didn’t get too close to the churning waters. Fun fact, it took more than 370,000 bricks and one year to construct the lighthouse.īut if looking at a lighthouse doesn’t interest you, and you enjoyed the view, but it didn’t take much time for you to experience it, the tide pools below Yaquina Head are filled with discovery.īy taking another access road on your way out of the park, you can walk down to the beach and see tide pools that are teaming with sea stars, anemones and urchins. Tours of the lighthouse are offered, and you can climb the stairs and even see the lens of this historic lighthouse that has been in operation since 1872. Storm watching is fun out in the rain, but you can also do it from the car, if that is more your speed.

#Newport tidal pools full#

The day I visited there was a pretty good storm rolling in, and if you like waves crashing over rocks and storm watching, this is an excellent site to take full advantage of the power of nature. Trails run from around the lighthouse to above the site on Salal Hill, there are also trails down to the tidepools. There are walking trails around the tallest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast where you can look down at the beach and ocean. The lighthouse, which is up the access road from the interpretive center, sits on a headlands – a rock outcropping surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides. While the interpretive center is a good learning experience, where the real attraction lies is outside. The gift shop offers coats, hats, books, stuffed animals and other tourist items. The volunteer organization helps in the restoration and preservation of the two lighthouses that are around Newport.

The center also includes a gift shop that helps support the Friends of the Yaquina Lighthouses (there is another lighthouse at Yaquina Bay). Gray whale bones are one display, as well as the many different types of sea birds in the area below the lighthouse and on the rocks around the headlands. There are also displays about the history of the area, how Yaquina Head was discovered and the wildlife you can see in the area. The bulk of the building, however, is filled with displays with information that explains everything from the trials and tribulations of being a lighthouse keeper, to how the lighthouse was built, to even how lighthouses work and how far their light shines. Department of Interior park.įrom park rangers on hand to answer questions about not only the lighthouse, but nature area and attractions around Newport, these experts can give you unique insights into the history, and current use of the lighthouse. Your first stop should be the interpretive center, where you will find a nice, large building that is filled with information about this U.S. What also makes Yaquina Head different, is there are really three attractions in one location. While other lighthouses on the Oregon Coast feature small museums about the history of the area, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse offers a significantly sized interpretive center and natural area which shouldn’t be missed.