Umpqua River Lighthouse

Umpqua River Lighthouse is located 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 65-foot tower is situated on a hill 100 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 south side of the river.  It fell into the swollen water seven 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. The Umpqua Light shines through a first order Fresnel lens made of 616 glass prisms handcrafted in France and weighing two tons.   It is a beautiful display of fine craftsmanship and produces a spectacular colored light show at dusk. This is especially true if there is a very light mist in the air. The light rotates out to sea and on the trees behind it on the landward side. The light shines 24 hours a day, but visit after dark or before sunrise, if you possibly can. As you enter Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, down a winding road, the light's rainbow beacon rotates through the tall pines with alternating white, white and red beams. The 65 foot tower is brick covered with white stucco, but you will not be able to take you eyes off this fantastic lens.