Cape Meares, Oregon - Place of wonder and beauty atop the Oregon Coastline cliffs

Approaching Cape Meares Lighthouse on the footpath

“Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better”

Albert Einstein

Just a short and beautiful drive from Tillamook, Oregon is a remarkable little place set atop 200 foot cliffs at the edge of the Pacific Ocean called Cape Meares. This wonderful little place has been designated a State Scenic view point and there are several amazing trails emanating from the parking area that lead to equally amazing points of interest. The main attractions here are the Cape Meares Lighthouse, stunning views of the Ocean, Cliffs and Haystacks, and last but not least…the nightmarish “Octopus Tree”. But first, the Lighthouse. The Cape Meares Lighthouse is a strange little structure as it is not very tall. It does not need to be tall though because it sits at the top of a 217 foot cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Even though the structure isn’t tall, it is very picturesque with its fat little white washed tower, capped with a jet black metal and glass lens house which contains an enormous and beautiful red & white first order Fresnel lens. This lens was hand crafted in 1887 by Mr. Henry Le Paute in Paris, France. It was then loaded onto a ship and transported around Cape Horn and then up the coast to Cape Meares. When it arrived here, craftsmen fashioned a crude crane and rigging out of local Sitka Spruce and hoisted the 1 ton apparatus up the 217 foot cliffs to the lighthouse. The lens is beautiful and unique as it is mostly clear but it has large red squares or bull’s eyes in it that can send a sharp red beam 21 miles out to sea to warn mariners of the dangers of the Oregon Coast in this area.

Wild Pacific Ocean at the edge of the Oregon Cliffs - Cape Meares, Oregon

Mr. Le Paute was a master at his trade and the incredible lens is nearly 1/3 the size of the lighthouse tower. I’ve been to many lighthouses along the coastlines of this Country but this Fresnel lens at Cape Meares is probably the most stunning I’ve ever seen. It truly is a gem and a valuable relic of history. As you walk down the path towards the lighthouse it is neatly framed in the center of your view by lush green vegetation that nearly forms a canopy over the trail. Cape Meares light had a staff of 3 keepers and their job was to keep the light burning from sunset to sunrise as many ships depended on its beam to steer clear of the rocks, haystacks and cliffs of the Oregon Coast. They also had to maintain the light by polishing the lens, trimming and replacing wicks and filtering kerosene and ensuring that the lamp was fueled. The light became operational in 1890 and it aided mariners for 73 years until it was de-commissioned in 1963. The lighthouse is open from 11am-4pm from April 1 – October 31 as long as the weather cooperates. You can find out more about this historic treasure by visiting the friends of Cape Meares Lighthouse website at: www.campemeareslighthouse.org

Mysterious Oregon "Haystacks" off the coast - Cape Meares, Oregon

From the lighthouse you can follow a very scenic trail along the top of the cliffs back up to the parking area and then through the dark damp green forest to the Octopus Tree. Along the cliff stretch you have amazing views south of several Oregon Haystacks – two of which have wave carved portals that look large enough to sail a ship through. These haystacks and portals must have amazed early explorers like Robert Gray and Captain Cook. There are thousands of sea birds roosting on these haystacks. If you zoom your camera or use binoculars you’ll see em all over the haystacks in great numbers. Auklets, puffins, storm petrels and others call these lone rocks out in the sea home. The Haystacks and cliffs are captivating. This is the front line of the battle between the ocean and the continent. To me, the Haystacks seem as if they are ghostly ships adrift on the sea. As you walk the trail, look and listen closely and you may see a Sea Lion or Harbor Seal far below. If you don’t see em you may hear em bawling above the surf. Look out onto the Ocean and you may even see a Grey back whale if the season is right.

Look down sometimes so you don't miss natures beauty

Cape Meares also has one of the few remaining old growth forests along the Oregon Coast as most of the old trees have been logged off or otherwise cleared at some point. The main types of trees here are the Sitka Spruce and the Western Hemlock. According to a sign board on site, the Sitka Spruce can grow up to 240 years old and the Western Hemlock up to 200 years. Because the coast here is harsh, a limited number of plants survive so the under story is limited. Water streamlets, decaying logs, muddy pools, ferns and mushrooms all exist beneath the moss covered trees. The trees are battalions of dark mysterious columns covered with hairy patches of moss. Even in the daylight, the interior of this forest is a beautiful yet eerie and foreboding place. The forest provides shelter and home to tiny varmints, black tailed deer and Roosevelt Elk. At the center of this seemingly medieval forest is the Octopus Tree. This alien monster is 105 feet tall and is over 250 years old. Instead of growing straight in a column – this giant Sitka Spruce has branches as large as individual giant Sitkas growing out of its base horizontally for 16 feet before they turn skyward giving this giant its Octopus appearance. It is 46 feet in circumference and has no central trunk. The Tillamook Indians believe that it’s strange and tortured shape is a result of it being a sacred ceremonial site where tribal elders held council and shamens performed rituals. It is a sacred ceremonial tree to the Indians so if you visit the place be respectful of that fact. Along with the lighthouse, cliffs, haystacks and ocean the Octopus Tree makes a trip out to Cape Meares well worth the effort.
For more information see below:
www.oregonstateparks.org
800-551-6949
www.capemeareslighthouse.org