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Published: October 13th 2011
Umpqua lighthouse
Historical Umpqua LighthouseUmpqua Lighthouse State Park is located less than a mile from the famous Salmon Harbor on Winchester Bay. The campground and developed day use areas are centered around beautiful Lake Marie. Access to this small freshwater lake is provided for angling and non-motorized boating. There is also a small sandy beach set aside for swimming or just relaxing.
We spent a couple of hours enjoying the Umpqua Historical Light House and its surroundings. We visited the interpretive center and museum which had a movie about the history of the lighthouse and a lot of artifacts and journals of the lighthouse keepers. Very interesting. Too much info to share here. We then took the walk out to the light house. We were able to go up inside all the way to the top. The lens for the light house came from Paris in 1855 and is made up of numerous prisms. There was a man at the top who shared all kinds of interesting info regarding all the light houses down the West Coast.
Our campsite was private and just overlooking Lake Marie. We had a deluxe Yurt which had a kitchen, full bath and BBQ. Very comfortable. Lake Marie is pristine and we enjoyed the one mile walk around while taking in all the native plants. There was an abundance of Deer Fern, Western Sword Fern, Mahonia, Myrtle, Salal, two varieties of Huckleberries and lots of Rhododendron.
For anyone who thinks the economy has made it impossible to afford travel, I recommend discovering more of America. We are so blessed to have so many affordable State Parks and the facilities that go along with them. I find it rather amazing. There is a constant flow of turnouts with views and numerous sites to picnic, hike and just plain enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of our country. The roads are safe, clean and well kept....what a deal!
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