Heceta Head

Heceta Head

  • Easy (from viewpoint parking lot)
  • 1 mile round trip
  • 200 feet elevation gain


  • Moderate (from Highway 101)
  • 2.6 miles round trip
  • 600 feet elevation gain


  • Difficult (from Washburne Park)
  • 5.9-mile loop
  • 800 feet elevation gain

Oregon’s most photographed lighthouse is open for tours—but only if you’re willing to hike. Fortunately, the trails here are easy and spectacular.

Heceta Head (say huh-SEE-tuh) honors Bruno de Heceta, the Portuguese captain of a Spanish ship, who first sighted the cape in 1775. The lighthouse here was the last of Oregon’s dozen coastal lighthouses to be built. Bricks for the tower were shipped from San Francisco to Florence and hauled over the hills on wagons. The 2-ton Fresnel lens, with 640 delicate, hand-ground prisms, was off-loaded onto the cape by surf boat.

For the shortest trail to the lighthouse, take Highway 101 …

For a longer loop hike that visits a beach and a …

Other Options

For a longer hike, …

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head from Hobbit Beach to the north

Heceta House bed & breakfast

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range.