North Head Light, Maritime lighthouse in Pacific County, Washington.
North Head Light is a lighthouse designed by Carl Leick, completed in 1897 with a 65-foot tower set on a 130-foot cliff facing the Pacific Ocean. The station also includes two oil houses east of the tower, a keeper's residence, a duplex for two assistant keepers, a barn, and outbuildings, all still on site.
This lighthouse was built in 1897 because an existing light nearby was not enough to safely guide ships entering the Columbia River. It began operating in 1898 and has been helping vessels navigate for more than 120 years.
The lighthouse displays items from its years as a working navigation aid and tells the story of lighthouse keepers who lived here. Walking through the building gives you a sense of what daily life was like for those who maintained it.
The site sits within Cape Disappointment State Park and is reached by a short walk from the main parking area. You can climb the tower only during guided tours offered from May to September.
The first keeper, Alexander Pesonen, arrived in 1898 with his wife Mary; reports of her suspicious suicide later made the keeper's house the subject of a 2018 episode of Ghost Adventures. The original first-order Fresnel lens from Cape Disappointment is displayed at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in the state park.
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