Grays Harbor Lighthouse:The Tallest of them All
Grays Harbor Lighthouse, 1959. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives. This beacon might be the most remarkable in Washington. Part of a chain of lighthouses spanning the Washington coast, it is the state’s tallest,…
Beacon Background:
Sentinels of San Juan Island
San Juan Island offers two distinctive beacons in two unique settings. Both reflect the ongoing story of mariners in the Salish Sea. When you are cruising in the area this summer, they are worth checking out by water and by…
Beacon Background: Point Wilson Lighthouse
The Point Wilson Lighthouse in 1960. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives. It is hard to imagine a more scenic location for a lighthouse than Point Wilson. Marking the convergence of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and…
Beacon Background: Alki Point Lighthouse
Explore the history of the iconic lighthouse that has been guiding mariners through Puget Sound for more than 100 years. The following article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of 48° North. Seattle is a city best…
Beacon Background: The Heceta Head Lighthouse
If you see one lighthouse in Oregon, let it be the beacon at Heceta Head. For more than a century, mariners have relied on its light for safe passage along Oregon’s central coast. This is a seascape dotted with rocky islands…
Beacon Background: The Admiralty Head Lighthouse
This article was originally published in the January 2022 issue of 48° North. When cruising north from Seattle, I always look for the Admiralty Head Lighthouse. There, on a windswept bluff on the west side of Whidbey Island,…
Beacon Background: The North Head Lighthouse
This article was originally published in the November 2021 issue of 48° North North Head is a perfect example of an iconic lighthouse. Rugged and isolated setting? Check. White tower overlooking an endless expanse of ocean?…
Beacon Background: The Mukilteo Light Station
This article was originally published in the October 2021 issue of 48° North. What is it about lighthouses that makes them so alluring? Although they were designed to keep vessels and mariners at a distance from shore,…