Cape Blanco State Park: Quick Visitor’s Guide
Some days, Cape Blanco is one of the prettiest places on Earth. Others, it’s one of the most miserable. The cape is Oregon’s westernmost point, a stubby peninsula sticking out into the Pacific Ocean. Fierce winds, sometimes over 100 mph, tear across the unprotected grassland on stormy days. Add in some cold rain and fog that blocks all the views, and you’ll wonder why you came here. I certainly did. Then, I went again and fell in love. When the rain stops and the fog lifts, what remains is a lighthouse standing tiny and alone, surrounded by the azure vastness of the Pacific. After walking to the lighthouse, check out the deserted beaches, the historic Hughes House, and the large campground. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Cape Blanco State Park.
Views from Cape Blanco
Know before you go
Day use at Cape Blanco State Park is free. You don’t need a pass to park.
Restrooms are a little tricky to find. There aren’t any by the lighthouse or gift shop, which is where most people look. The campground has them. You’ll also pass port-a-potties if you take the road to the Hughes House.
Leashed dogs are welcome in Cape Blanco State Park.
The road through the park is paved and in good condition. It’s no problem with a low-clearance vehicle.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
Lighthouse Trail
The tip of Cape Blanco is one of the most spectacular places on the Oregon Coast when the weather isn’t dreadful. If you’re wondering whether it will be windy when you visit, the answer is yes, always, on a scale between very windy and gale force. Summer, winter, it doesn’t matter. I wear my winter coat every time I go. As long as the rain isn’t coming at you horizontally, it’s worth putting up with a little punishment for the incredible views. After driving five miles from Highway 101 toward the end of the cape, you park at the gate and walk the last quarter mile to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. On either side of you are ocean vistas stretching out for miles. In summer, wildflowers dot the grasses.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse
The trail ends at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, perched 256 feet above the ocean. First lit in 1870, it’s the oldest standing lighthouse in Oregon. The picturesque white tower is one of the few remaining structures from the days before automation. You’ll see traces of others. The lighthouse keeper’s home stood on what is now a crumbling foundation with breathtaking ocean views. If you head inside the gift shop next to the lighthouse (formerly a Coast Guard station garage), old photos and a model show the original setup. The gift shop is open from April through October, Wednesday through Monday. It’s wheelchair accessible, although I think it would be hard to reach with a wheelchair. The road to the lighthouse and gift shop is paved, but has sections with steep grades.
Gift shop
Beaches at Cape Blanco
North beach
The Oregon Coast Trail leads to the beach north of Cape Blanco
Sandy beaches stretch out for miles on either side of Cape Blanco. I know people besides me visit them. I’ve just never seen it happen. I think it’s partly the wind and partly the lack of instant access that dissuades most visitors. It’s not hard to get down to the water, but you need to take a short trail, and the signage isn’t obvious. The beach on the north side of the cape is the easiest to reach. After returning from the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, look for a sign pointing to the Oregon Coast Trail by the parking gate. Follow it down the grassy trail about a quarter mile to the beach.
North beach
The trail ends at the base of the cliffs beneath the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. Driftwood and boulders line the beach. At low tide, look for some intertidal critters on the rocks. At high tide, waves crash against the boulders and sea stacks. Gull Rock and Castle Rock are the islands in the distance. The sandy beach extends north to the mouth of the Sixes River.
South beach
Trail to the south beach
The beach south of Cape Blanco is easier to access from the campground than the lighthouse. If you aren’t camping, you can reach it with a little more hiking. From the lighthouse parking lot, walk down the road like you’re leaving the park and look for the dirt trail on the right side. You’ll see a signpost pointing toward the Oregon Coast Trail and then a sign for the South Cape Trail in 0.75 miles. This trail leads to the Cape Blanco Campground and then to a paved road to beach access. It’s a little over 2 miles out and back to the beach.
The Needle
Expect strong winds on both the hike and the beach. If you don’t get blown away, you’ll see the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, 200-foot cliffs, and panoramic ocean views from the trail. The most eye-catching feature of Cape Blanco’s southern beach is the Needle, a tall pyramid-shaped sea stack near the shore. On clear days, look for Humbug Mountain rising from the coastline in the distance.
Pioneer Cemetery
The Pioneer Cemetery is on Cape Blanco Road
The Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery is right next to the road through Cape Blanco State Park. You’ll pass it as you drive to and from the tip of the cape. It doesn’t have the wow factor of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, but it’s an easy stop if you’re curious to explore more of the park. Pull over into the little parking lot and follow the short grassy trail to a small graveyard. Whoever maintains it does a great job. The marble headstones from the early 1900s are so clean that they almost sparkle. The cemetery was for friends and members of the Hughes family, who lived down the road. An informational sign describes the church that once stood by the cemetery.
Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery
Hughes House
Hughes House
Touring the Hughes House is Cape Blanco’s one great rainy day activity. You’ll see a sign for it as you drive toward the end of the cape. I’m always in a hurry to see the lighthouse trail when I visit, so I stop at the Hughes House on the way out. The lovely Victorian farmhouse was built in 1898 for a family of dairy farmers. At a time when most settlers were hunting for gold, Patrick and Jane Hughes saw a future in cows. Today, the house is on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside is a museum that’s so well kept that you expect one of the Hugheses to walk in and offer you some tea. With milk, of course.
Hughes House
The Hughes House is open to the public from April to October, Wednesday - Monday (closed Tuesdays). Volunteers know a remarkable amount about the house, down to the smallest details. One guide showed me which three floorboards need replacement after insect damage. I frowned and nodded as though I found the anachronism equally concerning. The guides are just as familiar with the lives of the Hughes family, and you’ll leave knowing which son went into the church and which became a lighthouse keeper, as though you’ve received your own family lore from a relative.
Tours are free. Donations are very welcome and contribute to the maintenance of the house (ie, floorboards). Heads up, it’s a cash-only situation. The first floor is accessible to wheelchairs. The second floor is not.
More in Cape Blanco State Park
Cape Blanco trail map
So far, I’ve covered the highlights and easy road trip stops in Cape Blanco State Park. If your itinerary is packed, it makes sense to stretch your legs on the lighthouse trail, then get back on the road. The Oregon Coast has so many incredible sights nearby. If you have more time and you get lucky with the weather, Cape Blanco is a large park with more to do.
Cape Blanco has a few picnic spots other than those in the campground. The best views are at the table by the lighthouse. It overlooks the ocean, but your lunch will probably blow away if you try to eat there. More relaxing spots are by the Hughes House or, if you continue on the road past the house, by the Sixes River.
A nice, easy hike along the Sixes River starts from the end of the Hughes House road. It follows the river to where it empties into the ocean, about 2 miles out and back. Heads up, this hike crosses a cow pasture that floods for part of the year. I had to turn around when the water got past ankle depth.
The Sixes River has a gentle current that makes it good for kayaking. Look for the boat ramp at the end of the Hughes House road.
For my approximately one reader traveling with a horse, check out the horse trails through the forest to the beach south of Cape Blanco.
Just a note that I’ve found that maps tend to overpromise hiking trails in Cape Blanco State Park. For instance, I looked for the trail that supposedly starts from the Hughes House and couldn’t find it. I asked a volunteer inside who said there was no trail. I’d say the lighthouse trail and the walks on the beaches are your best hiking options in the park.
Sixes River
Camping
Cape Blanco has a large year-round campground with restrooms and hot showers. It’s set back in the forest, which protects it from strong ocean winds. Camping options include hiker/biker sites, RV sites with full hookups, a horse camp, universal access sites, and a few reservable cabins. The campground doesn’t have a dump station. You can reserve up to six months in advance through Oregon State Parks. The campground is popular in the summer, and it’s a good idea to make a reservation. In winter, go ahead and just show up.
Getting there
Cape Blanco State Park is between Bandon and Port Orford on the southern Oregon Coast. From Highway 101, turn onto Cape Blanco Rd. Continue for 5 miles until the road ends at a closed gate. Continue on foot to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. The drive from Portland takes 5 hours. You’ll need a car to get there.
Enjoy your trip to Cape Blanco State Park!
With love,
Emma
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