Umpqua River Light

The original 1857 Umpqua River Lighthouse was built too close to the river's mouth and its foundation was undermined by repeated flooding and erosion, leading to its collapse in 1861. The replacement lighthouse, completed in 1894, was built 100 feet above the river on a headland at Winchester Bay to avoid the same fate. This is unusual—most lighthouses are at sea level.

Yes, the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Winchester Bay, Oregon, is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and tours are offered by the Douglas County Parks Department and the Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum. Visitors can climb the tower during scheduled tour hours in summer. The lighthouse still functions as an active aid to navigation.

Aside from its cliff-top location 100 feet above the river (rather than at water level), the Umpqua River Lighthouse is notable for its red and white lens producing a distinctive signature of two white flashes followed by a red flash. It is the only lighthouse in Oregon that emits red light from its first-order Fresnel lens. The lens is still the original 1890s French-made apparatus.

Umpqua River Lighthouse at Winchester Bay is about 22 miles south of Florence, Oregon, along US Highway 101. The drive takes roughly 25 minutes. The lighthouse is part of the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park area.