Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

 nature conservation park / area, headland, tourist attraction

750 Northwest Lighthouse Drive
Newport, OR 97365
(541) 574-3100
www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/yaquina/index.php

Yaquina Head is a spit of land jutting out into the Pacific Ocean north of the American city of Newport, Oregon. It is home of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Yaquina Head's rock outcropping and 93 foot lighthouse tower are visible for several miles along the Pacific Coast Highway. The light was completed in 1873 and is a classic example of the towers of that period. Inside the lantern is a huge 12 foot high First Order fresnel lens.
The history of Yaquina is as shrouded in mystery as the cape is in foul weather. A persistent myth is that the lighthouse was mistakenly constructed in the wrong location, but mislabeled government survey documents seem to be responsible for this historical inaccuracy. In any case, Yaquina Head Light was built just north of Yaquina Bay Light, dooming the smaller tower to obsolescence.