Ecola Sp - Tillamook Rock Lighthouse
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Here at Ecola State Park you're at Tillamook Head, an ancient lava flow from the Grand Ronde mountains. The park is perched dramatically on the edge of the headland and offers panoramic coastal views (right).
Lewis & Clark You have over 10 miles of coastal rainforest trails. These are neat, especially imagining Lewis and Clark walking along the same paths. This will give you a good idea of what the area looked like before it was settled. You can hike out* to the panoramic views and signs which describe the wildlife in the area. The view to your south illustrates the Oregon Coast’s geological past*. High mountains from lava flows emanating from the 'Yellowstone Hotspot' tower over the shoreline. They are continually uplifted by the subducting oceanic plate below, and eroded away by the sea. You can see Haystack Rock furthest back, on the right. From various vantage points you can see the migration of the gray whale. More than 20,000 pass by Ecola Park each winter and spring. If you plan your visit to Cannon Beach in a timely fashion (March or December), you're sure to see some of these whales. |
Ecola SP
Cannon Beach coastal area from Tillamook Head "From this point I be held the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed". Capt. Clark Credit: Pfl 
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*Hike out to Clark's Point of View (2+ hours RT) near the summit of Tillamook Head over 1000 ft above the ocean. Clark, Sacajawea and his party of 12, while hiking toward a beached whale, described this spot as "the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed". MORE
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And you are treated to your best view of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, located one mile from the shoreline.
One of the most desolate and unique lighthouses ever to exist in the US..., if not the entire world. Terrible Tilly, the battered, besieged and occasionally submerged lighthouse on Tillamook Rock. Tillamook Rock is a bleak island with a lighthouse that operated from 1881 to 1957. Nicknamed "Terrible Tilly," the light was repeatedly overswept by winter storms that dashed water, rocks and fish into the lantern room 150 feet above normal sea level. Workers had to improvise to overcome the many challenges presented by the task of building this lighthouse. 30 feet of rock was blasted to create a flat structure for workers to build on. The construction claimed one man's life, and took over two years to complete. Just days before the final completion, workers heard a ship approaching in the night. The lighthouse was not prepared for lighting, so driftwood and lanterns were set on fire to warn an English ship by the name of "Laputa" of the approaching dangers. The next morning the workers found the "Laputa" had struck the mainland, killing all sixteen passengers on board. Only an Australian Lab pup survived. Days later, on January 21, 1881, the lighthouse, standing 133 feet above the ocean, was lit for the first time. Five men worked this lighthouse. Four were always working on "The Rock" with a fifth taking a break on the mainland. Because of the violent waters around Tillamook Rock, these men would often be stuck for months at a time without their scheduled provisions. Life on this rock was very hard, there were no families or female keepers. As you can imagine, the storms made for wretched conditions; waves would crash over the rock bringing heavy debris. The constant wear and tear on this lighthouse made it the most expensive to operate in the nation! Because of this, the lighthouse was finally abandoned and the light turned off on September 10, 1957. This lighthouse is now a bird sanctuary and "cemetery at sea." It is designed to hold more than a half-million urns of human ashes, and is privately owned. Visit www.lighthousefriends.com for a quick, remarkable history of this lonely lighthouse. More about Tillamook Rock Lighthouse http://nwcoast.com/ |
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Tillamook Head (Haystack Rock) Volcanic Geology ...
Fifteen million years ago large fissure eruptions occurred near Lewiston, Idaho, sending massive volumes of lava across eastern Washington and down the early Columbia River valley. These lava flows created layers upon layers of basalt reaching hundreds of feet in thickness. Collectively these lava flows are known as the Columbia River Basalts. Some of these flows poured into the Pacific Ocean and spread out through the soft marine sediments for dozens of miles. In some spots (such as Haystack Rock), these flows re-erupted through thousands of feet of mud onto the sea floor, essentially having their own eruptive centers. These lavas then cooled to become solid basalt. Millions of years later as the Coast Range lifted, so did these massive flows. Erosion took over creating such headlands as Tillamook Head and sea stacks such as Haystack Rock.
Fifteen million years ago large fissure eruptions occurred near Lewiston, Idaho, sending massive volumes of lava across eastern Washington and down the early Columbia River valley. These lava flows created layers upon layers of basalt reaching hundreds of feet in thickness. Collectively these lava flows are known as the Columbia River Basalts. Some of these flows poured into the Pacific Ocean and spread out through the soft marine sediments for dozens of miles. In some spots (such as Haystack Rock), these flows re-erupted through thousands of feet of mud onto the sea floor, essentially having their own eruptive centers. These lavas then cooled to become solid basalt. Millions of years later as the Coast Range lifted, so did these massive flows. Erosion took over creating such headlands as Tillamook Head and sea stacks such as Haystack Rock.
