North Head Lighthouse

If you have been here before then you know that my adventures often do not go as planned. This is an example of that – except in a good way. The description I read of North Head Lighthouse led me to believe that this would be a quick stop on a short, paved loop. But it was way more than that.

I pulled into the crowded parking lot and had to wait for someone to leave. (I always feel like a stalker in a murder mystery when I follow someone to their parking spot.) As I was headed out on the loop toward the lighthouse, I spotted a sign toward Bell’s View Overlook, so I decided to start there. Now, history is NOT my thing. I am not interested in reading about people and dates and events on a timeline. However, you get me on a trail with giant trees and bunkers and an old water tower and interpretive signs and a bridge that ends with an ocean view, and I’m there.

The trees on this trail were massive, and very different than the redwoods or white pines that I have hiked through before. Instead of one, huge tree trunk, a lot of these conifers branched off close to the ground so when you looked up you would see three or four trees all coming from the same base. Even at this old age, I was thinking how perfect these beauties were for climbing. Don’t worry, I resisted the urge (honestly, visions of me getting stuck up high and having to be rescued flashed through my head. Wait…rescued…that means handsome firefighters. Hmmm…) and continued on.

A lot of the signs had to do with weather because the US Government invested in weather forecasting on this peninsula way back in 1902. This part of the coast has precipitation year round, from heavy rain in the winter to heavy fog in the summer. Interesting to glance through, but not super exciting…until I came to the World War II bunker. Three of the four levels remained; the Searchlight Control Booth at the top and two Triple Base End Stations below. The floor of the top level was covered in water, so I did not go into any of them. But I did walk around them and peek in and marvel at their simplicity. And, most importantly, I took in the view that the people in the bunker would have been looking at. Gorgeous.

Not far beyond the bunker was the end of the path and the overlook itself. A wooden bridge led to a deck-like structure that offered gorgeous views of the forest to the south, the beautiful Pacific to the west, and the gorgeous coastline to the north. This is why I make long drives. This is worth every single mile.

As beautiful as the view from the lookout was, it was also cold and windy. So, I headed back to the parking lot, down to the loop that offered more gorgeous views of the sun reflecting off of the ocean and her rays peering through the old growth forest, and around to the lighthouse.

North Head Lighthouse Station is remarkable. There are several buildings, including the Carriage Barn, which is now a Ranger Station, two buildings that served as Keepers’ Residences and are now offered as vacation rentals, and the beautiful Lighthouse and Oil Houses, which are in pristine condition. And, of course, the views were spectacular.

Rather than returning on the paved path to the parking lot, I decided to explore the smaller, tiled path on the north side of the peninsula. Narrower and more secluded, I had the path to myself, so I was free to turn around and take in the view every few feet. I also came across some odd shackles (for some reason, visions of witches being tied up came to mind, but I’m sure it was something way less sinister) and then a steep wooden staircase that led up to the buildings.

I meandered around the dwellings, fighting off the urge to peek into the windows, and continued back out toward the parking lot. Stopping at the informational signs I learned that the final, remarkable view overlooked what was once cleared to provide land for a vegetable garden. It doesn’t take long for Mother Nature to recover her land, once humans are done using it. She is fierce. And it’s good to be reminded that we are but a speck on Earth’s timeline,  it puts everything back in perspective.