The Department of Natural Resources has lifted its statewide burn ban, however recreation fires and other burning is still prohibited in many parts of the state. Please visit our Alerts page to know the current burn ban restrictions at the park you plan to visit.
Picture yourself on a cliff above a turbulent seascape with a beaming lighthouse at your back. Washington enjoys a wild coastline and a rich maritime heritage. The state is home to 21 lighthouses, nearly half of them in and around state parks. So, pick your park or parks, plan a trip and find the lighthouses of your dreams.
Admiralty Head Lighthouse — Fort Casey Historical State Park
Fans of Italianate Revival architecture will love Admiralty Head Lighthouse (pictured in banner photo). The tower sits high above sea level and glows pink at sunset. Located in Fort Casey Historical State Park on Whidbey Island, the area comes alive with military and maritime history. When you're done taking pictures, peek into the small museum/gift shop.
Put into service: Current building 1903; originally built in 1861
Automated: no lens
Height: 30 feet
Tours: Offered by volunteers on summer weekends; check with park staff: (360) 678-4519
Cape Disappointment and North Head Lighthouses — Cape Disappointment State Park
The southernmost Cape Disappointment Lighthouse is the oldest in Washington, built in 1856, near the confluence of the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River. The tall, elegant North Head Lighthouse came later as a way to make the foreboding cliffs at the mouth of the Columbia more obvious to ships sailing in from the north.
Make sure to gaze up at Cape Disappointment Lighthouse from Waikiki Beach, and at North Head Lighthouse from Benson Beach.
Curious about lightkeepers' lives? Rent the North Head light keeper's or assistant light keeper's residence for your group of up to six people and have the place to yourselves overnight.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse facts:
Put into service: 1856
Automated: 1962
Height: 53 feet
Claim to fame: The oldest lighthouse in the Pacific Northwest
Tours: Viewable from exterior.
North Head Lighthouse facts:
Put into service: 1898
Automated: 1961
Height: 65 feet
Claim to fame: The most intact light station in the Pacific Northwest
Tours: Open daily to visitors 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 1 to Sept. 24. Tour admission is $3 per adult and free for ages 7 to 17. Children under the age of seven are not permitted. Appropriate footwear is required, no flip flops or shoes without heel straps. Federal and state passes are not accepted for admission. Call the center at (360) 642-3029 for more information.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse — adjacent to Westport Light State Park
Rising out of an evergreen thicket, the Grays Harbor Lighthouse is tall and thin, and it sits one block from Westport Light State Park. Climb the tower's tight spiral staircase in season, and walk the park's beach path through yellow grasses that wave in the breeze.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse facts:
Put into service: 1898
Automated: 1933
Height: 107 feet
Tours: Offered seasonally; check with park staff: (360) 268-9717
Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse — Lime Kiln Point State Park
The Lime Kiln Point lighthouse on San Juan Island offers dramatic sunsets and is considered one of the best land-based whale watching spots on earth, On summer weekends, kayakers share the shoreline with the whales, and crowds throng the bluff. Cheers go up whenever a whale blows or breaches.
Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse facts:
Put into service: 1919
Automated: 1962
Height: 38 feet
Claim to fame: Whale watching, May to Sept.
Tours: Offered from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends; check with park staff: (360) 378-2044
Marrowstone Point Lighthouse — Adjacent to Fort Flagler Historical State Park
Sheltered by a huddle of red-roofed buildings, Marrowstone Point is not your typical lighthouse. The original 1888 light is an empty shell, while the light shines from a squat newer building beside it. A short jaunt from Camp Richmond at Fort Flagler Historical State Park, or a beach walk to the northeastern point of the island will get you to this unique light.
Marrowstone Point Lighthouse facts:
Put into service: Current building 1918, original 1888
Automated: 1962
Height: 20 feet
Patos Island Lighthouse — Patos Island Marine State Park
Take a boat or a kayak to Patos Island in the northern San Juan islands, and stroll through the forest to Patos Island Lighthouse. Between meadow grasses and barnacle-dotted rocks, the area makes a pleasant summer picnic and exploration spot. Send the kids to find the international boundary marker, as the lighthouse is only a few miles from Canadian waters.
Put into service: Current building 1908; original 1893
Automated: 1974
Height: 38 feet
Claim to fame: Northernmost lighthouse in Washington
Tours: Offered most weekends, Memorial Day to Labor Day; call Sucia Island State Park for information: (360) 376-2073.
Point Wilson Lighthouse — Adjacent to Fort Worden Historical State Park
Put into service: Current building 1914; original 1879
Automated: 1977
Height: 46 feet
Turn Point Light Station — adjacent to Stuart Island Marine State Park
To reach the Turn Point Light Station, dock at Prevost or Reid Harbor on Stuart Island Marine State Park and hike 3 miles to the western tip of the isle. The hike reveals a small community, forests and pastures, a former one-room schoolhouse, a cemetery and a bluff ominously called Lovers' Leap. A cluster of buildings shields the light station, which sit precariously on the point.
Turn Point Lighthouse facts:
Put into service: Current building 1936, original 1893