Newport · Central Oregon Coast · Lighthouse, tide pools and BLM natural area
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, an interpretive center and the Cobble Beach tide pools on a headland just north of Newport.
Opens the BLM’s Yaquina Head page with fees, hours and passes. The $7 vehicle pass covers three days, and America the Beautiful passes are accepted.
Details checked October 2026
Type
BLM natural area
Lighthouse, interpretive center and tide pools
Admission
$7 per vehicle
3-day pass · annual $15 · walk or bike in free
Hours
Site 8–6 Mon–Thu · 8–6:30 Fri–Sun
Interpretive center 10–4 daily · closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Time needed
Tour 40–45 min
Lighthouse tour length per Recreation.gov; allow more
Parking
Interpretive center lot
Only lot that takes RVs; not lighthouse or tide pool lots
Height
93 ft
Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, first lit in 1873
What you’ll see
A lighthouse above the tide pools
Yaquina Head packs a working lighthouse, an interpretive center and rocky tide pools onto one short headland drive.
Photo: EclipseDude on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start here
Climb Oregon’s tallest lighthouse
The 93-foot Yaquina Head Lighthouse has guided ships since August 1873 and is still an active aid to navigation. When tours run, a costumed ranger leads small groups through more than 140 years of history and, when the stairs are open, up 114 steps to the lantern. BLM charges no tour fee beyond the site pass.
RV tip: Park the rig at the interpretive center lot and walk to the lighthouse, since large vehicles can’t park at the lighthouse lot. Ask at the center about today’s tour times when it opens at 10.
More to see
- Interpretive centerOpen 10 am–4 pm daily, the wheelchair-accessible center has exhibits with some tactile pieces, a captioned video, a store and a loaner wheelchair. It is also where you pick up lighthouse tour tickets.
- Cobble Beach tide poolsPlan around a low tide (BLM links a tide chart) to explore the Cobble Beach tide pools. Access can be limited during harbor seal pupping, mid-May to mid-June, and seabird nesting, May through September.
- Quarry CoveA former rock quarry with its own observation platform. Wheelchair users can reach the platform by asking for a gate opener at the entrance station or the interpretive center.
- Trails and viewing decksTrails and walkways link the lots, and the observation decks are wheelchair accessible. Leashed pets can use the trails, though not near the lighthouse or in the tide pools.
Why go
Why Yaquina Head belongs on your Newport list
Congress set aside the 100-acre headland as an Outstanding Natural Area in 1980, and the Bureau of Land Management runs it today. Its centerpiece, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, was first lit on August 20, 1873. At 93 feet it is Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, and it still holds a first-order Fresnel lens made in Paris in 1868.
The site sits about five miles north of Newport at the end of NW Lighthouse Drive. Bring the tow car if you can: BLM keeps large vehicles and buses out of the lighthouse, tide pool and Quarry Cove lots, so RVs must use the interpretive center lot. Your $7 vehicle pass is good for three days.
The site is open year-round except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Daily scheduled lighthouse tours run July through mid-September; the rest of the year they depend on weather and staffing. Time tide pool visits for low tide, and expect limited Cobble Beach access during spring and summer nesting and pupping.
Photo: m01229 on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Why it made our list
- Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, still an active light
- Tide pools at Cobble Beach at low tide
- Free ranger-led lighthouse tours when offered
- America the Beautiful passes accepted
- Accessible center, decks and restrooms
For RVers
Taking the rig to Yaquina Head
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Use the interpretive center lot
BLM says the interpretive center lot accommodates large vehicles, including RVs and buses. Large vehicles are restricted from the lighthouse, tide pool and Quarry Cove lots, so plan to park there and walk, or unhook and drive the tow car out to the point.
Getting there from Newport
Head about five miles north of Newport and follow NW Lighthouse Drive out to the headland. Pay at the entrance station: $7 for a passenger vehicle (three days), $3 for a motorcycle. America the Beautiful and Oregon Pacific Coast passes are accepted.
Pets on a 6-foot leash
Dogs are welcome on trails and walkways on a 6-foot leash, but not near the lighthouse, not in the Cobble Beach tide pools and not inside buildings. Service animals may join lighthouse tours; therapy animals may not. Bring bags, since owners must pick up pet waste.
Day use and tide timing
Yaquina Head is day use only, with no overnight parking or camping. Check the tide chart before you go so you reach Cobble Beach near low tide, and remember seal pupping and seabird nesting can close parts of the beach in late spring and summer.
What visitors say about Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 29, 2026.
a stunning coastal destination along the Oregon coast
Bureau of Land Management, describing Yaquina Head · blm.gov
Before you go
Three things we’d bring
Tide tableBinocularsWind layers
This is our own short list, not drawn from reviews. We couldn’t read review-site highlights for Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, so we don’t list review themes.
What it costs to get in
Entry fees from the BLM Yaquina Head page. Motorcycle and vehicle passes last three days; walk-in and bike-in visitors get a free one-day pass.
Good to know
Vehicle entry (paid)$7 good for three days
Annual Yaquina Head pass$15 for 12 months
Walk or bike in (free)Free one-day pass
Lighthouse tour (free)No tour fee small online reservation fee
Fees and hours from the BLM Yaquina Head page and Recreation.gov, checked October 29, 2026. Tour schedules change with weather, staffing and restoration work, so call (541) 574-3100 first.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
- Address750 NW Lighthouse Dr, Newport, OR 97365
- HoursSite 8–6 Mon–Thu · 8–6:30 Fri–Sun
Interpretive center 10–4 daily · closed Thanksgiving and Christmas - Phone(541) 574-3100
- Fees$7 vehicle pass at the entrance station; lighthouse tours can be reserved on Recreation.gov when offered
- Getting thereFrom US-101 about five miles north of Newport, follow NW Lighthouse Drive west to the entrance station, then continue on to the interpretive center and the lighthouse.
- ParkingRVs and buses must park at the interpretive center lot. The lighthouse, tide pool and Quarry Cove lots are for smaller vehicles only.
Check BLM’s page or call (541) 574-3100 for current hours and tour status, and check a tide chart before heading to Cobble Beach.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Sea & Sand, just up US-101 near Depoe Bay, is our closest written-up park. The other two work if you are basing yourself farther south.
Sea & Sand RV Park
Terraced oceanfront full-hookup sites on a bluff above the beach near Depoe Bay.
Darlings Marina & RV Resort
Lakefront sites on Siltcoos Lake south of Florence, with a marina, boat rentals and a smokehouse.
Winchester Bay RV Resort
County-owned marina resort at Salmon Harbor with 167 full-hookup sites and bay views.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Interpretive center daily 10 am–4 pm
Heading out to Yaquina Head?
Check today’s tour times and the tide chart, park at the interpretive center and bring a jacket.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: EclipseDude (lighthouse; CC BY-SA 4.0), Jeffhollett (Cobble Beach; CC BY-SA 4.0), Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (wildflowers; CC BY 2.0), Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (seal pup; public domain), Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington (vintage photo; public domain) and m01229 (lantern room; CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: BLM Oregon & Washington on YouTube (site overview). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including published materials from the Bureau of Land Management, Northwest Oregon District and other publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly at blm.gov or (541) 574-3100. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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