Umpqua River Light, Lighthouse in Winchester Bay, United States.
Umpqua River Light is a red brick lighthouse standing on a coastal bluff above Winchester Bay in Douglas County, Oregon, rising about 65 feet (20 meters) tall. Inside, a large Fresnel lens rotates and casts red and white beams across the water.
The first lighthouse at this location was built in 1857 but collapsed into the river within a few years after the ground beneath it was eroded away. The current tower was completed in 1894 and placed at a safer spot on the bluff, where it has operated ever since.
The museum in a former Coast Guard building displays ships' equipment, navigation tools, and old maps that show how fishermen and sailors once used these waters. The collection tells the story of people who worked daily with the sea.
The tower is generally open to visitors between May and October, and those who want to go up should be comfortable climbing a very narrow spiral staircase. The space at the top is tight, so the climb may not suit everyone.
The former Coast Guard building next to the tower now houses a small museum with ships' equipment, navigation tools, and old maps from the era when these waters were heavily used by fishermen and sailors. Walking through it gives a concrete sense of how daily work at sea was organized before modern technology.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
