Umpqua Lighthouse Park

Umpqua Lighthouse Park Review

6 mi south of Reedsport on U.S. 101.

Some of the highest sand dunes in the country are found in the 50-acre Umpqua Lighthouse Park. The first Umpqua River Lighthouse, built on the dunes at the mouth of the Umpqua River in 1857, lasted only four years before it toppled over in a storm. It took local residents 33 years to build another one. The "new" lighthouse, built on a bluff overlooking the south side of Winchester Bay and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, is still going strong, flashing a warning beacon out to sea every five seconds. The Douglas County Coastal Visitors Center adjacent to the lighthouse has a museum and can arrange lighthouse tours.