Cape Blanco State Park: Everything You Need to Know!

Cape Blanco State Park is most famous for its stunning lighthouse.  And while the lighthouse is only 59 feet tall, the way it’s perched on an evergreen hill, the lighthouse is very impressive.  

But what you might not know about Cape Blanco State Park is how gorgeous their entire park is!  The park has 8 miles of hiking trails, a beautiful beach, a campground, and over 1,800 acres to explore.

So let’s jump in to all the details you could ever need about Cape Blanco State Park.  We’ll discuss the fees, the campground, the lighthouse and even nearby things you have to go see!

Important Links

Cape Blanco State Park website

Campground – Make Reservations Here

Hiking Trails – List from AllTrails

Camping Checklist Freebie – A Useful Camping Checklist

Hiking Backpack Checklist Freebie – Be Prepared on the Trails

Hiking Journal – Never Forget the Details of Your Favorite Hikes Again!

Camping Journal – Never Forget Your Camping Trips Details Again!

Location

Let’s start with the location of Cape Blanco State Park.  The park is right on the coast of southern Oregon (hence the lighthouse).  

But for a more specific answer, Cape Blanco is about 30 minutes south of Bandon, OR and a little over an hour north of Brookings, OR.  And for some larger cities, the park is  3 hours from Eugene, OR and about 5 hours from Portland, OR.

Fees

Now, Cape Blanco State Park has a fee, just like all Oregon State Parks.  Even if you are just going to see the lighthouse, there is a fee to park. 

The fee is $10 for Oregon Residents and $12 for Out of State Visitors.

At the parking lot there is a QR code that you can scan and use to pay the fee.  BUT you might not have phone service here.  So in order to not risk getting a fine, here are a few suggestions to pay said fee!

Pay Ahead of Time

The first option is to purchase your Day Use Parking Permit online ahead of time.  This pass is valid for an entire day and can be used at all of the state parks for that day.  In other words, if you are planning on visiting Shore Acres State Park, Harris Beach and Humbug Mountain State Park all in one day, this pass will cover you. 

And the second option is to purchase an Oregon State Parks Annual Pass. This pass gives you access to all of Oregon State Parks and Beaches for 12 months from the month of purchase.  The resident pass is $60 and the non-resident pass is $75. 

The annual pass only makes sense if you are planning on visiting several state parks/beaches on several different days.  If you are a resident planning to spend more than 6 days in any of the state parks, this pass is perfect for you. And if you are a non-resident planning to spend more than 6 days in the state parks, again, this pass is the way to go.    

Just make sure the math makes sense before you purchase, or you might be wasting some money.

Parking

If you are headed just to the lighthouse, you’ll be looking to park here.  You could also put “Cape Blanco Lighthouse” into your favorite maps app and the road will dead end into the above parking lot. 

On the other hand, if you want to access Blanco Beach, you’ll look to park here. This lot is quite small, but we went in the middle of a Sunday and there was only 1 other car.  

And if you’re looking to visit the Historic Hughes House, then you’ll want to park here. The Historic Hughes house is nearly 130 years old and tours are available.  But more on that later!   

Why Visit Cape Blanco State Park?

So now that all the logistics have been checked off, let’s get into why you should even visit Cape Blanco State Park.

First off, the lighthouse is the oldest in Oregon.  And it’s beautiful.

Secondly, there is a great campground, 8 miles of hiking trails and a beautiful beach.  Not to mention the touch of history in the Historic Hughes House that is on the northeast side of the park.

And for you equestrians, you can bring your horse to Cape Blanco State Park!  There are 8 reservable campsites where a corral is provided.  

Let’s check out a few more details about the state park!

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Cape Blanco State Park is probably most famous for their stunning lighthouse.  The Cape Blanco Lighthouse is the oldest still standing in Oregon and it was built in 1870.  

The lighthouse is nonoperational, but this 59 foot structure once could project its light up to 23 miles out to sea.  This comes from the 200 foot cliff that the lighthouse sits on.  So while the lighthouse is not particularly tall, its light was about 250 feet above the waters below.

The lighthouse does not offer tours, but there is a giftshop.  The Lighthouse Gift Shop is open daily April 1 through Oct. 31, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. but it is closed Tuesdays.

Hiking

Cape Blanco State Park has several hiking trails that loop through the park.  In total, there are about 8 miles of hiking trails that lead to the beaches, the lighthouse, the wetlands and the river.  

You can find all of these trails, hiking and horse, listed right here on AllTrails.  You can choose from both easy and moderate hikes.  And the trails are anywhere between 0.5 and 3 miles long. 

Camping

Cape Blanco State Park offers a very nice campground. They have 4 full hook-up sites and 52 electric/water sites in their campground.  They also offer horse camp sites, and there is a group camping site (as of 2026 – closed).

Within the campground there are bathrooms with running water and free hot showers.  Each site has a fire ring and picnic table.  Be sure to check any fire restrictions before you start a fire.  

And if you aren’t much of a stay-in-a-tent kind of person, there are 4 cabins that you can choose from. They are simple cabins with electric, 4 bunk beds, and an outdoor table, but at least you won’t be sleeping on the ground. (Make sure you read all the details about what to bring on the website before booking – this isn’t a fancy Airbnb Cabin!)

Camping Cost

As of 2026, Oregon State Park have raised their prices in most of their campgrounds. Below are the prices as of 07/2026.

• Electric Sites: $55/night
• Full Hook-Up Sites: $58/night
• Cabin: $90/night
• Horse Camp Site: $27/night – MUST have a horse/pack animal with you!

**Disclaimer: Prices can and will change depending on the date. This is just an idea to get you started for planning a camping trip to Cape Blanco State Park.

These prices are a little steep in my opinion.  But on the bright side, there is easy (walkable) access down to Blanco Beach!

Blanco Beach

Cape Blanco State Park has several different beaches that you can access from the state park. There is the North Shore Beach, which requires a hike that starts near the lighthouse.

But Blanco Beach is the easiest to access from the campground.  The road down to the beach is attached to the campground, making it an easy walk to the sand. This beach is very long and you could easily spend an entire day relaxing in the sand here. 

Horseback Riding

Cape Blanco State Park is very horse friendly. There are several horse trails within the park and they even offer 8 campsites specifically for visitors with horses.  Of those 8 sites, 6 have dual corrals and the other 2 have quad corrals. 

Each site must have at least one horse/pack animal associated with it.  But you are more than welcome to bring your horse along as you explore Cape Blanco State Park!

Historic Hughes House

And the final reason to make sure to visit Cape Blanco State Park is the Historic Hughes House.  This beautiful Victorian-style farmhouse was built in 1898.  The Hughes Family were ranchers for years.  After 30 years of saving and working hard, they paid Pehr Johan Lindberg to design and build this beautiful home.

The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.  It has been kept and restored several times, and tours are available seasonally.

From the website directly: “Tours are free; donations help fund restoration and maintenance of the home. Tours: July 1-Sept 30, Wednesday-Monday, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (closed Tuesdays).”  If you are interested in touring this beautiful old home, I would recommend calling to confirm your desired date, so you are disappointed.  

Other Oregon Lighthouses

The Oregon coast has 11 beautiful lighthouses along their coastline.  However, there are only 9 that are considered “historic”.  And the Cape Blanco Lighthouse is one of them!

But if you are interested in seeing the other 8 historic lighthouses, here is a list of them!

• Cape Blanco Lighthouse (1870)
• Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (1871)
• Yaquina Head Lighthouse (1873)
• Tillamook Rock Lighthouse (1881)
• Cape Meares Lighthouse (1890)
• Heceta Head Lighthouse (1894)
• Umpqua River Lighthouse (1894)
• Coquille River Lighthouse (1896)
• Cape Arago Lighthouse (1934)

My husband and I visited 4 other lighthouses along the Oregon coast.  (Cape Meares, Umpqua River, Tillamook Rock, and Yaquina Head Lighthouse)  They all have a classical charm that reminded us of a different time.  A time before GPS and Radar/Sonar.

So if lighthouses are an interest of yours, be sure to stop and admire the beauty of these lighthouses along the Oregon coast!    

Things To Do in the Area

And if you’re looking for other things to do in the area, you simply have to check out the town of Bandon. This town is adorable, has an incredible beach and nature reserve area, and there are quite a few great restaurants/breweries/ciders in town.  

But if you’re looking for more incredible scenic things, you’ll definitely want to check out Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor.  This area has so many incredible rock structures, including the Natural Bridges area that you’ve probably seen on Instagram.  

Conclusion

Oregon has many state parks and state beaches, but between their beautiful lighthouse, their campground, and their hiking and horse trails, you won’t want to miss Cape Blanco State Park!

As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com with any questions you might have.

-Happy Hiking and Camping!