Yaquina Head Light, Historic lighthouse in Lincoln County, Oregon

Yaquina Head Light is a white brick lighthouse in Lincoln County, Oregon, standing 28 meters tall on a rocky headland above the Pacific coast. The tower uses a fixed Fresnel lens originally shipped from France, which still operates to mark the coastline for passing vessels.

The structure was completed in 1873 following plans approved by the federal lighthouse agency, which sought to establish navigation markers along this frequently fogbound coastline. Responsibility shifted to the Coast Guard in 1939, which maintained operations until automation took over in the late 20th century.

The light's name comes from Yaquina Head, the peninsula at the mouth of the Yaquina River; early charts also called it Cape Foulweather, a name now given to a point 4 miles north. The original 1868 first-order Fresnel lens is fixed, not rotating: it shows two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, then 14 seconds off. The 1997 Interpretive Center exhibits cover the keepers' work and the tide-pool life below.

Guided climbs are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with sign-up at the Interpretive Center desk; space is limited. The stairway is narrow and steep, so wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for a climb. The center also has exhibits on lighthouse history and local marine life.

The lens dates to 1868 and ranks among the oldest working optics on the West Coast, weighing several tons despite its seemingly delicate glass prisms. On clear nights the beam reaches more than 31 kilometers (19 miles) out to sea, appearing to sailors as a steady point on the horizon.