Perched atop a basalt rock about a mile from the shore and not accessible to the public, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse — known locally as “Terrible Tilly” — is one of the most legendary spots on the Oregon Coast. From 1881 to 1957, this 62-foot-tall lighthouse served the noble purpose of guiding ships from the Pacific Ocean into the Columbia River, but there’s much more to the story. Here’s what you need to know about this mysterious spot and the events that gave it its ominous nickname.
The Tale of Terrible Tilly
Tilly’s tale begins in 1878, when Congress allocated funding for a lighthouse to be constructed on Tillamook Head, a rocky promontory between Seaside and Cannon Beach. Immediately, surveyors realized that the initial location was too elevated and foggy to provide an effective source of light for passing ships, so they decided to build it on offshore Tillamook Rock — a 100-foot basalt monolith — instead. Soon after, a team of surveyors headed to the rock to lay the groundwork. Shortly after, the project’s leader was swept into the sea. His remains were never recovered.
This tragedy did not go unnoticed, and public outcry about the project’s safety made it difficult to recruit a crew. Construction finally recommenced, only to be halted a few months later when a storm washed much of the crew’s supplies and tools out to sea. The workers took refuge in a makeshift shanty and miraculously stayed alive for the 16 days it took for a lighthouse tender to reach the rock with provisions. The following January, another tragedy hit: The wreck of the Lupatia occurred right at Tillamook Head. Only the ship’s dog survived the crash.
Less than three weeks later, on January 21, 1881, the Tillamook Lighthouse was finally illuminated and remained in service until 1967, when it was replaced with a whistle buoy.
How to See Terrible Tilly
Tilly has had several owners since its decommissioning, eventually being turned into the now-defunct Eternity at Sea Columbarium in 1980. Although the lighthouse remains under private ownership, its location within the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge grants it strict ecological protections. In other words, if you’re not a member of the U.S. Coast Guard — or a marine creature — you won’t be able to land on Terrible Tilly’s basalt base.
There are plenty of ways to get a glimpse of the legendary light, nevertheless. While you can catch glimpses of the lighthouse from parts of Cannon Beach and Seaside when the weather is clear, the best views are from Tillamook Head in Ecola State Park. Although you can save time and energy by driving straight to the state park and then taking a 0.4-mile loop trail to the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse viewpoint, many visitors prefer approaching via the Tillamook Head Trail, a challenging, 14.3-mile (round-trip) hike that connects Indian Beach with Seaside.
For a closer view, Garibaldi Charters runs boat trips that get close to the rock and also has longer six-hour summer excursions that combine an up-close view with fishing and crabbing (conditions permitting). For incredible aerial views of the lighthouse, book an 18-minute helicopter tour with Fly Seaside.
More Lighthouses on the Oregon Coast
Although Tilly is best left in peace, there are plenty of lighthouses along the Oregon Coast to visit. Some are open only seasonally and have changing hours, so be sure to check websites before your visit.
North of Tilly, you’ll find another fascinating lightbearer: the Lightship Columbia in Astoria, a floating lighthouse that helped guide sailors into the Columbia River from 1951 until 1979. Today it’s open to visitors as part of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, a worthy stop on any North Coast itinerary.
Farther south along the Coast, Cape Meares Lighthouse is a great place to see an original 19th-century Fresnel lens. In Newport Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head lighthouses are easy to visit in tandem, while still-active Heceta Head Lighthouse offers visitors the chance to spend the night at its historic assistant lightkeeper’s house, which has been converted into a bed-and-breakfast.
On the South Coast in Winchester Bay, the handsome Umpqua River Lighthouse is one of the only lighthouses on the Coast that’s reliably open for winter tours, and it also has an adjacent museum and gift shop. You’ll also find the Cape Arago Lighthouse (closed to the public but great for a photograph), the Coquille River Lighthouse in Bandon and the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in Oregon, Cape Blanco Lighthouse. Be sure to make the trek to this engineering marvel, located in Cape Blanco State Park; it was commissioned in 1870 and affords sweeping views of the Pacific from atop a cliff.
