Heceta Head Lighthouse

Florence, Oregon



Heceta Head's light first shone in March of 1894, 205 feet above sea level and visible for over 21 miles. One thousand barrels of blasting powder were required to create a flat table on the rocky cliffs. Heceta remained an extremely isolated outpost until the 1930's when road crews arrived with their families and tents to construct Route 101, the Pacific Coast Highway.

The area is named for Captain Don Bruno de Heceta of the Spanish Royal Navy, an explorer whose expedition passed along the Oregon coast around 1775.

I arrived at Heceta Head around 3:00 in the afternoon, drove over the bridge and through the tunnel, and pulled off the highway just south of the light to take the classic shot from a distance. Then I drove back to the parking lot at Devil's Elbow State Park and hiked the trail to the light, past the keeper's house, and up on the hill above the light. I sat there till past sunset, in awe of the rocky coast, Heceta's handsome tower, and the exquisitely beautiful and huge First Order lens.

I must have taken close to 50 photos as the light kept changing. Reluctantly, I climbed down and took one last photo from the beach below.

A fine art print of this lighthouse is available for purchase.