Photo © Allen Cox
Historic and steeped in maritime lore, lighthouses are set in some of the most scenic areas of coastal states, like Washington. You don’t have to be a lighthouse historian to appreciate these structures, some of which are even open for tours. A great way to explore Washington’s lighthouses (there are 26 in all, according to LighthouseFriends.com) is in small doses—lighthouse loops—that take in selected lighthouses in a general vicinity. Pack a picnic and climb in the car. Washington’s lighthouses are waiting.
The Seattle area loop takes in the Mukilteo, West Point and Alki Point (the latter two in the city) lighthouses. The lighthouses on this route are in one of the most heavily trafficked waterways in the state.
The Puget Sound Entrance loop includes Point No Point (at the northern tip of Kitsap Peninsula), Point Wilson (at Port Townsend) and Admiralty Head (on Whidbey Island) lighthouses. This loop requires a scenic ferry ride between Whidbey Island and Port Townsend.
A loop that takes you to rugged Pacific Coast scenery is the Southwest Coast loop, with Cape Disappointment, North Head and Grays Harbor (Westport) lighthouses.
Many other lighthouses worth the trip are stand-alone structures far from other lighthouses, such as Dungeness and Cape Flattery lighthouses. For more information and to plan your own lighthouse trip, go online at lighthousefriends.com. For information about visiting Washington, go to experiencewa.com.
