Songs From The Wood
"Terrible Tilly"
This is part of a series of caches on the beautiful Clatsop Loop and Tillamook Head Trails. For complete details and a list of the caches, please see Woody.
Tillamook Rock Light is a decommissioned lighthouse located on a small island rock 1.25 miles west of Tillamook Head, between Seaside and Cannon Beach, Oregon. It was built in the 1880s and was operational from 1881 to 1957. In recent years, the abandoned lighthouse was briefly used as a columbarium (place for storing cremated remains), but is now rarely visited, and is designated a National Wildlife Refuge for seabirds.
Due to its stormy location and dramatic history, the lighthouse was nicknamed "Terrible Tilly". There are fascinating books written about the lighthouse by authors such as Jim Gibbs and Bert Webber.
The best way to view the lighthouse is to hike to a vantage point on Tillamook Head. This is a world-class hike and the views of the ocean and lighthouse are spectacular. You will find the Geocache very close to the viewpoint, as well as a nearby Terracache.
The easiest approach is from Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach. After paying an entry fee at the station, go right and park in the upper lot (Indian Beach) for a 1.6 mile (one way) hike or turn left and park at the lower lot (Ecola Viewpoint) for a 3 mile hike . If you start from the lower lot, you will pass through the upper lot on the way. From the upper parking area, hike past the restrooms and find a trail split. The route to the left (across the bridge) is the most scenic. Both will get you to the cache.
BE SURE to leash your canine friends and watch children closely as there are numerous drop-offs along the trail. Receiving a satellite signal is difficult in the trees, so check the hint if needed!
For a longer (4 mile) hike, you can approach from Seaside starting from a trailhead at the end of Sunset Boulevard.
Enjoy the beautiful hike and the view of this very historic building!