Lighthouse Point, Point Roberts, Washington

This aid to navigation is located in Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts, Washington. It is  25 foot tall skeletal tower with a beacon and diamond shaped daymarker. It is at the southwest point of Point Roberts which is a point of land in the US that juts out from Canada at Tsawwassen, B.C. It is part of Whatcom County, Washington, although is detached from the main part of the county and one must enter Canada and then reenter the US to access it. A society is working with the US Coast Guard to build a proper lighthouse on this site. Photos taken in May 2018.

Clover Island Lighthouse, Kennewick, Washington

The Clover Island Lighthouse is the newest lighthouse in Washington State, constructed in 2010 during the revitalization project on Clover Island which sits in the Columbia River at Kennewick, Washington. The U.S. Coast Guard has deemed this light an aid to navigation and there is a U.S.C.G. Aids to Navigation station located on Clover Island to the east of the lighthouse. The lighthouse sits on the the west end of the island which is between two bridges linking Kennewick and adjacent Pasco (the Blue Bridge and the newer Cable Bridge). Photos taken in June 2014.

New Dungeness Light Station, Sequim, Washington

The New Dungeness Light Station is located at the end of the five mile long Dungeness Spit just West of Sequim, Washington on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  It is accessed only by hiking the spit which is part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. The light was the first light on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and one of the four earliest lighthouses constructed in Washington. The light was first lit in December 1857. In 1868 eighteen Tsimshian Indian were massacred by S'Klallam Indians on a second spit that juts out from Dungeness. One wounded and pregnant woman survived and made her way to the light station and was protected by the keeper and his wife. In 1976 the Fresnel light was removed and replaced by a rotating bulls eye prism and automated. Since 1994 the New Dungeness Light Station Association has maintained the station and volunteer keepers live at the station for a week at a time, maintaining the grounds and buildings and acting as tour guides for visitors. The station is on the National Register of Historic Places. A visit to the light is well worth the hike.  Photos taken in June 2012.

Faux Light, Port Townsend, Washington

Although not a real lighthouse, this house on the bluff overlooking Port Townsend Bay in Port Townsend, Washington is a great replica light. It is located on Washington Street just South of the downtown area of Port Townsend, near the Jefferson County Courthouse. Photo taken in May 2012.

Marrowstone Point Lighthouse, Marrowstone Island, Washington

The Marrowstone Point Lighthouse is located on Marrowstone Island at the North end of Puget Sound in Washington State. It sits at the North East tip of Marrowswone Island just East of Port Townsend Bay. The station was originally established around 1888. The current light is a beacon on a square concrete building. The keepers house from 1896 sits just South of the light. Fort Flagler was built just above the light in 1907 to help protect the entrance to the Sound. The light is on  Coast Guard property and is surrounded by the current Fort Flagler State Park.  Photos taken in May 2012.

Dofflemeyer Point Lighthouse, Olympia, Washington

The Dofflemeyer Point Lighthouse is located in the Boston Harbour area of Olympia, Washington, near the Boston Harbour Marina on Puget Sound. The station was established at this location in 1887 and the current light is from 1934. The light marks the Eastern entrance to Budd Inlet and the Port of Olympia. Photos taken in November 2011.

Pole Passage, Orcas Island, Washington

These photos taken in June 2010 show a current aid to navigation that is located on the tip of Orcas Island at Pole Pass. Pole Pass separates the San Juan Channel from Wasp Passage. It is purported that the first ever light in the San Juan Islands (a pole with a lamp) was established at the spot of the current aid to navigation.

Patos Island Lighthouse, Patos Island, Washington

The Patos Island Lighthouse on Patos Island in the Washington State San Juan Islands is the only wood construction lighthouse in Washington. The station was originally established in 1893 and the lighthouse constructed in 1908. The light was automated in 1974. The tower has two red panels which warn sailors of dangerous shoals in the area. The island is now Patos Island State Park. The Lighthouse was recently refurbished and is maintained by the Keepers of the Patos Light. The photos were taken in June 2010.

Turn Point Light, Stuart Island, Washington

Located on the Northwest corner of Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands, the Turn Point Lighth sits across the Haro Strait from B.C.'s Pender Island. This station was established in 1893 and was originally a lamp on a post and a fog signal. the Current light tower was constructed in 1936. There is a beautiful keeper's house on the site. Photographs taken in June 2010.

Lighthouses and Orcas

On Sunday June 20, 2010 I was treated to a Lighthouse and Whale Watching tour of the San Juan Islands in honor of Father's Day and my Birthday. My wife and son arranged for a cruise with Orcas Island Eclipse Charters aboard the 56' M.V. Orcas Express. Captain Dan and his staff took us on a wonderful 64 nautical mile cruise of the San Juan Islands, passing 5 lighthouses (Cattle Point, Lime Kiln, Turn Point and Patos Island in Washington's San Juan's, and East Point Light on Saturna Island in the adjacent British Columbia Gulf Islands). We also passed through Pole Passage which is purported to be the location of the first light (a lamp on a pole) in the San Juan Islands. As a bonus, we had the good fortune to see numerous Orcas (Killer Whales) at several points along the route, the staff identifying members of all three resident pods (J, K and L pods). The trip was a great experience and I would highly recommend Eclipse Charters, especially their Lighthouse Tours for fellow lighthouse lovers. Information on the trips can be found at San Juan Islands Lighthouse Tours or at the Orcas Island Eclipse Charters website. I have included a collage of some of the lighthouse photos I took during the cruise as well as a shot of some of the "locals". More detail on the new lighthouses I photographed on this trip will be provided in separate posts.

A Light in the Forest

While at Point Robinson, took this one through the trees and I like it so thought I would share... hope you enjoy...

Point Robinson Lighthouse, Vashon Island, Washington

The Point Robinson Light is located on Vashon Island, Washington along the shore of Puget Sound. The light was established in 1885 by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The current lighthouse was built in 1915. The light was automated in 1978 but still uses the original Fresnel Lens. There are two restored keepers' houses on the property that can be rented through the Vashon Parks District. The photos were taken in January 2010.

Lightship Swiftsure, Seattle, Washington

This lightship is moored at the Marine Heritage Centre on Lake Union near downtown Seattle, Washington. This ship was comissioned in 1904 and originally served as a lightship in California. It was first stationed on the Mendicino coast and later in the San Francisco area. It moved to Washington in 1951 and served as a relief lightship at locations off the Washington coast. The ship was decomissioned in 1960 after 56 years of service (including serving as a coastal patrol boat for the US Navy during WWII). The ship is designated LV83. There are a number of other vintage vessels moored nearby. Photos taken in August 2009.

Lime Kiln Lighthouse, San Juan Island, Washington

The Lime Kiln Lighhouse was established in 1914. It sits on the East side of San Juan Island in what is currently Lime Kiln State Park. The light was one of the last major lights in the USA to be automated (1962). The building today houses a research station for monitoring whale movement in the area. The area is a good place for whale watching as there are three resident Orca pods (J, K, and L pods) that frequent the San Juan Islands.

Cattle Point Lighthouse, San Juan Island, Washington

This lighthouse is located at the South tip of San Juan Island. The site was established in 1888, with a lens lantern. In the 1920's a radio compass station was established just East of the site of the light. The powerhouse for the radio compass station still stands. The current lighthouse was built in 1935. It sits in the Cattle Point Interperative Area and there are a number of walking trails to enjoy while visiting the light.

North Head Lighthouse, Ilwaco, Washington

North Head Lighthouse is located approximately two miles North of the mouth of the Columbia River in Fort Camby State Park near Ilwaco, Washington. It was first lit in 1898. It is open to the public and the two keepers houses are available as accomodations. The photos of the light and one of the keeper's houses were taken in September 2008.

Grays Harbour Lighthouse, Westport, Washington

Dedicated in 1898 the Grays Harbour Lighthouse at Westport, Washington is the tallest lighthouse in Washington State (107 feet tall). When first erected it was 400 feet from the high tide mark, however due to build up of silt, it is now 3000 feet from the high tide mark. The photos were taken in September 2008.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, Ilwaco, Washington

Located in Cape Disappointment State Park, near Ilwaco, Washington, the Cape Disappointment Light sits on a high bluff overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River. This lighthouse has been active here since 1856. The photos were taken in September 2008.

Skunk Bay Lighthouse, Kitsap Penninsula, Washington

This lighthouse is located on the north end of the Kitsap Penninsula in Washington State, not far from Point No Point Lighthouse. It was built privately in 1965 and is currently owned and operated by the Skunk Bay Lighthouse Association.

Point Wilson Lighthouse, Port Townsend, Washington

This light built in 1914 is situated in Fort Worden State Park near Port Townsend, Washington. It sits on the West entrance to Puget Sound across the water from Admiralty Head Lighthouse. The tower is open to the public in season. Fort Worden was used as the setting for the filming of the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" staring Richard Gere. Photos taken in 2008.