Yaquina Bay Lighthouse – A Haunted Lighthouse in Oregon
Located in Newport, Oregon inside the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is said to be the oldest structure in Newport, built in 1870. And – it’s said to be haunted! Let’s review the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse – what to expect during your visit.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon – Location
The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is located in Newport, Oregon, inside of Yaquina Bay State Park, just off of US Highway 101. There is no fee to enter the state park.
This is not to be confused with the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which is located four miles north of here, in Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.
About the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built in 1870 and was only in use for four years before being decommissioned in 1874. During its time as a working lighthouse, it helped aid ships what was the busiest port between Washington and California. The lighthouse is wooden and has living quarters attached, sitting on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Marine traffic into the port became busier each year and officials decided that a better placement for a lighthouse would be four miles up the coast. As a result, Yaquina Head lighthouse was built, making Yaquina Bay Lighthouse obsolete.
Today, the lighthouse is operated by the Oregon State Park system, occasionally offering tours, though tours of the interior of the lighthouse have not operated in the last few years. The grounds are open to explore from 12pm – 4pm Wednesday to Sunday.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is said to be haunted; its most famous ‘ghost’ is that of a girl named Muriel Trevenard who went missing inside the lighthouse after she went back inside to grab her handkerchief, never to be seen again. You can read more of this story here.
This ghost story, true or not, has said to be the reason why Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was saved from demolition. No one knew if the ghost story was true or not, but it was an exciting tale! Public interest in the story piqued the attention from the Lincoln Country Historical Society, who, after their formation in the late 1940s, stepped in and eventually saved the lighthouse from the wrecking ball.
Visiting Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
It’s free to enter the Yaquina Bay State Park – the lighthouse is the main attraction here. On the day we visited the area, the grounds of the lighthouse were closed (there is fencing around the lighthouse – when the grounds are open, the volunteers will open up the gate) but we were able to snap photos from the parking lot below. There also is a fire watchtower by the lighthouse, though I don’t know if the public is allowed to climb this. Picnic tables and restrooms are available.
If the grounds are closed, you don’t have a whole lot of options for photography – you’ll be able to basically get the shots that I got from the parking lot. And frankly, the lighthouse itself is kind of ugly, being all boarded up.
The state park itself is very nice – there are some trails that lead down to the beach. You can also take some great photos of the famous Yaquina Bay Bridge from this viewpoint.
All in all, stopping here won’t take up too much of your time, especially if the lighthouse is closed or you just don’t feel up for a tour (personally, I don’t do lighthouse tours anymore, as I’ve seen enough of them to know that they all kinda look the same on the inside – however I might’ve made an exception for this one because of the interesting ghost story legend). After you’re done visiting, you can easily hop back on the 101 to continue your journey up (or down) the coast.
Let’s be honest – this wasn’t the most photogenic lighthouse I’ve seen but it it was still nice to see. Perhaps I’d feel differently if we would’ve been here when the lighthouse grounds were open, but they have such limited hours that it can be difficult to plan around this. I actually found the Yaquina Bay Bridge to be a better photography subject than the lighthouse!
If you are on a tight timeline for your Oregon coast road trip, this would be one of the spots I’d skip (personally, I didn’t visit this lighthouse until my fourth trip out to this area!)
Have you visited Yaquina Bay Lighthouse? What did you think? Do you believe it’s haunted?
