Details
Region: Central Oregon Coast
Location: 97439 US-101, Florence, OR 97439
DEN Rating: 8/10
Trail Length: 4 miles total
Trail Type: out and back
Hike Time: 15-20 minutes to lighthouse and back, 2-3 hours for full hike
Trail Difficulty:
- easy 3/10 to lighthouse
- moderate 5/10 on Heceta Head Trail
Elevation Gain: 750 feet (full hike)
Trail Surface: dirt, steps
Popularity: 8/10
Family friendly: yes
Pet friendly: yes
Handicapped Accessible: no
Swimming: no
Camping: no
Restroom: vault toilet at parking area
Open Hours: day use only (8AM to 7pm)
Season: year-round
Pass or Permit: $5 day use parking fee, Oregon State Parks pass or camping receipt, or Oregon Pacific Coast Passport
Managed By: Oregon State Parks
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Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint is one of the premiere parks on Oregon’s breathtaking central coast. While the dramatically-set ligthouse itself is the main attraction, this park also offers easy access to one of the area’s most scenic beaches plus a trail winding up and over Heceta Head through an absolutely magical forest and a unique chance to stay in a historic bed and breakfast on the property.
A storybook setting unfolds on the Heceta Head Trail on the Central Oregon Coast.
Path Through The Elder Grove – Limited Edition
The section of the Oregon Coast Trail which traverses over Heceta Head near Florence passes through an unbelievable forest grove just north of the summit. The wind-sculpted trees and lush ferny forest understory with the fog billowing through created an enchanted scene straight out of a Grimm fairy tale. If wood sprites are real I’d … Read more
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Lit in 1894, Heceta Head’s 56-foot tall lighthouse houses what is today the brightest beacon on the Oregon coast with a luminosity of over 2.5 million candles. Two sheds next to the main lighthouse were used to store the kerosene which originally powered the light and created the need for lightkeepers. The lighthouse switched to a brighter electric bulb in 1934 and became fully automated in the 1960s. This brochure by Oregon State Parks has interesting historical information on the lighthouse.
Today the lighthouse sits on a promontory 206 feet above the ocean and is accessible via an easy and wide half-mile trail from the parking area which served as a road during construction (150ft elevation gain.) The Lighthouse Program (11AM until 2PM in winter, 3PM in summer) gives visitors access to the interior of the lighthouse’s main floor via a quick guide-led tour. The trail leads past the old lightkeer’s assistant’s residence which has been remodeled into a truly unique bed and breakfast. Click here to find out more and make a reservation!
If you’re looking for a great coastal hike, want to see a really beautiful forest, or even just want to get away from the busyness of the beach and lighthouse then check out the Heceta Head Trail hike. Pick up this trail from just below the lighthouse. The trail switches back immediately and leads to a straight-on view of the lighthouse’s first-order Fresnel lens spinning and flashing every 10 seconds. The trail ascends fairly steeply up to the often-misty summit then descends more gradually through some of the most picturesque wind-sculpted trees I have ever seen. If you do this hike when Heceta Head is covered in fog you are in for an experience that’s like being in a fairy tale – a fair trade for losing the handful of fantastic viewpoints this hike offers. The trees become taller and straighter as the trail descends and passes along the sides of two beautifully forested glens before ending at the Hobbit Trailhead along Hwy 101. As an extension continue down 1/2 mile to beautiful Hobbit Beach set on the north side of Heceta Head.
The branches of a Sitka spruce twist around each other on the slopes of Heceta Head on the Oregon Coast.
Twisted
I’ve never been in a NW forest environment like the one I was fortunate enough to experience at Heceta Head on the Oregon Coast near Florence. I was on the beach below and saw the encroaching fog begin touching the headland and rolling through the treetops above so I went to up and into the … Read more
The beach at the Heceta Head Lighthouse parking area is quite beautiful as well so no need to make the hike over Heceta Head to enjoy some time on the sand. The park’s beach, set gorgeously in the back of a deep inlet, is known as Devil’s Elbow Beach because it is framed by the promontory called Devil’s Elbow to the south and by larger Heceta Head to the north. The view of the lighthouse and neighboring Conical Rock from the beach is very good. Pretty Cape Creek at the south end of the beach washes down some nice agates and other collectible rocks. The park and surrounding ocean are part of Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve so you’ve got opportunities to see migrating gray whales, seals, and a variety of seabirds and small marine life here. A road leads from the back of the parking area up Cape Creek into the Siuslaw National Forest, the only National Forest in Oregon to touch the coast.
Overall this is one of the best coastal parks in the central coast area. Dramatic Heceta Head Lighthouse is perfectly set and utterly photogenic, as is the historic lightkeeper’s assistant’s home. And how cool that visitors can stay there! Add on a lovely little beach and one of the most amazing hikes in the state and you’ve got a recipe for a fantastic day at the Oregon Coast!
Fog obscures the fantastic forms of Sitka spruce trees in the coastal forest at Heceta Head.
Fairytale Forest
Coastal fog darkens and obscures the wind-sculpted forms of Sitka spruce trees in the lush forest near the summit of Heceta Head north of Florence. This group of trees in particular possesses incredible shapes. The mist was coming through in billows, constantly changing the lighting and what was clearly visible. It was dark enough that … Read more
Evening fog darkens the coastal forest above Hobbit Beach north of Florence.
Ominous
Coastal evening fog darkens the forest above Hobbit Beach near Florence on the Central Oregon Coast. Late afternoon was becoming evening as I headed back to the car after hiking to Heceta Head Lighthouse and there was little light left except for the diffuse gray glow coming through the mist so I went with it … Read more
Cautions
Exercise normal cautions at the beach like keeping an eye out for sneaker waves. The trail to the lighthouse is easy and well graded with all of the improvements so no worries there. The viewpoints on Heceta Head Trail are an opportunity for falling hundreds of feet (no guard rails) which can easily be avoided by just staying on the main trail. The trail can get slippery in spots near the summit when fog condenses and drips onto the trail, and generally muddy in the wet season.
Getting There
Heceta Head Lighthouse is found 13 miles south of Yachats and 12 miles north of Florence on US 101. The turn is well-signed. Turn east on the park road, away from the coast, then bear immediately right. Continue down and cross under handsome Camp Creek Bridge to the parking area next to the beach. A pay station is available there.
Photographer’s Tip
While there are loads of great views in this park and the lighthouse is the most photographed in Oregon, for me the winner is the forest just north of the summit on the Heceta Head Trail. It is misty beams of light and vanishing branches photographic heaven when the fog rolls in. A wider lens is useful on this hike because the trail passes right next to some of the best tree specimens. Drive about 1 mile south on US 101 to a fantastic viewpoint looking north at Heceta Head and it’s lighthouse.
Links
https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=86
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/heceta-head-lighthouse
https://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/listing/heceta-head-lighthouse-trail-%231370/4768
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/heceta-head-lighthouse-to-hobbit-beach
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Heceta_Head_Hike
https://www.outdoorproject.com/united-states/oregon/heceta-head-trail
Lightkeeper’s Assistant’s Home Bed and Breakfast booking & info
https://www.hecetalighthouse.com
The forest on Heceta Head becomes dark and ominous when the coastal fog billows through.
Snow White’s Nightmare
When the fog rolls through the wind-sculpted forest, cloaking the branches in dark obscurity and diffusing the light, you roll with it.
