PNWSights
Cape Meares Lighthouse stands in bright morning sun against a clear blue sky, with its black lantern room and white base framed by evergreens and rocky bluff. The brick path curves past the small adjacent utility building, and the ocean is visible beyond the cliffside railing.

Cape Meares Lighthouse

Lincoln City, OR

The shortest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast at 38 feet, perched on a 200-foot cliff in Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. The lighthouse houses a rare first-order Fresnel lens and offers views of Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge. The nearby Octopus Tree, a uniquely shaped Sitka spruce, is another notable feature.

Photography Guide

Best Time
morning
Crowds
Quiet
Shot Types
widedetaillandscape
Best Seasons
springsummerfall
Practical Tips
The short trail from the parking lot to the lighthouse is paved and accessible. The lighthouse interior is open seasonally; check Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint hours before visiting.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The lighthouse is small and that is the point. Thirty-eight feet of white tower at the edge of a two-hundred-foot cliff, and the scale of it only makes sense once you have walked the paved path down through the spruce and seen how the land falls away beyond it. The composition I keep returning for is the wide one, taken from the south side of the trail in late morning, where the lighthouse sits low in the frame and the Pacific opens up behind it with Three Arch Rocks visible in the middle distance on a clear day. May and June are the months I would choose. The marine layer burns off later in the morning here than it does inland, and there is often a window between nine and eleven when the fog lifts off the water just enough to reveal the rocks but still leaves a softness in the air that the light catches. Bring something long if you care about the wildlife refuge. The murres and the puffins are out there in numbers most people do not realize. Do not skip the Fresnel lens if the lighthouse interior is open. It is a genuinely strange and beautiful object up close, all glass and brass and impossible geometry, and the detail shots reward a careful eye. And then walk the short spur to the Octopus Tree before you leave. It is not on the way to anything, exactly, but it is one of those Sitka spruces that does not look like it should exist, and it photographs best in the diffuse light that comes through the canopy on overcast mornings. The whole headland takes maybe two hours to work properly. Give it three.

Gallery

Cape Meares Lighthouse stands in bright morning sun against a clear blue sky, with its black lantern room and white base framed by evergreens and rocky bluff. The brick path curves past the small adjacent utility building, and the ocean is visible beyond the cliffside railing. Photo: Davidkasdan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
Close-up inside the lighthouse lens, with curved glass prisms glowing deep red and framing the ocean beyond. Sunlight glints through the Fresnel panels, creating a layered abstract pattern of arcs and stripes. Photo: Andrew Malone / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Close-up of the lighthouse’s first-order Fresnel lens, filling the frame with concentric glass rings, black metal struts, and red-painted trim. Morning light catches the faceted glass, creating bright reflections and rainbow-edged highlights across the lens. Photo: Andrew Malone / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Close-up of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Fresnel lens, with curved glass prisms and metal ribs filling the frame in bright morning light. The lens catches rainbow reflections and sharp highlights, creating concentric bands of color and shadow. Photo: Andrew Malone / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
The black-and-white Cape Meares Lighthouse is shown close up against a clear blue morning sky, with evergreen branches framing the left edge and the glass lantern room revealing the Fresnel lens inside. Rust streaks and the narrow balcony add detail to the compact tower. Photo: Andrew Malone / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Close-up of the lighthouse’s white rooftop equipment, including the cylindrical Fresnel lens housing, metal railings, and a tall spiral antenna-like structure. Dark evergreen trees rise behind it under a bright, overcast sky. Photo: yellowbkpk / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Three Arch Rocks rise from calm blue water beneath a pale morning sky, with the largest sea stack centered and the smaller arches clustered to the right. A dark headland sits low on the far left horizon, emphasizing the wide coastal view. Photo: DimiTalen / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
The black lantern room of Cape Meares Lighthouse stands against a bright blue sky and calm ocean, with the rare Fresnel lens visible through the glass. Sunlight highlights the metal roof and railings, while low greenery frames the cliff edge in the foreground. Photo: Annnnaan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Cape Meares Lighthouse stands in thick fog, its white tower and black lantern room rising beside a small keeper’s building. Evergreen trees and a damp cliffside path frame the scene, with the mist softening the background. Photo: Rizka / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Cape Meares Lighthouse stands against a clear blue morning sky, its white tower topped with a black lantern room and glass Fresnel lens. A small white utility building, windswept trees, and a path bordered by a rustic fence frame the scene, with a sliver of ocean visible at left. Photo: Gordon Banks / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

You might also like

Nearby Places

Wide view of Hug Point’s broad sandy beach at low tide, with a pebbled foreground and weathered driftwood logs leading toward a rocky headland topped with wind-bent evergreens. The afternoon light casts crisp shadows across the shore under a clear blue sky.
Hidden Gems
27

Cannon Beach, OR

Hug Point State Recreation Site

A beach with a small waterfall that cascades directly onto the sand, sea caves, and remnants of a historic road carved into the rocky headland. At low tide, visitors can walk around the point to access additional coves and rock formations. The waterfall and cave features make it unique among Oregon Coast beaches.

afternoonspring · summer
Haystack Rock rises beside a smaller sea stack under a gray sky, with both formations reflected in the wet, mirror-like sand at low tide. Gentle waves line the horizon, and the broad beach emphasizes the rock’s massive scale.
Coastline
39

Cannon Beach, OR

Haystack Rock

A 235-foot basalt sea stack that is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Oregon Coast. The rock is home to tufted puffins during nesting season and is surrounded by tide pools rich with marine life. It is accessible on foot at low tide from Cannon Beach.

golden hourspring · summer
A white sea slug with bright orange speckles clings to a shallow tide pool beside dark brown seaweed and wet sand. The clear water reveals the sandy rock beneath, with soft reflections and scattered bubbles around the marine life.
Photogenic
39

Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach Tide Pools

The tide pools surrounding Haystack Rock and adjacent Needles rocks form one of the richest intertidal areas on the northern Oregon Coast. Species include colorful sea anemones, sea stars, mussels, hermit crabs, and nudibranchs. The area is protected as a Marine Garden and touching or removing marine life is prohibited.

morningspring · summer