Name and Location

The New Dungeness Lighthouse is located at the Helipad, Unnamed Road, Sequim, WA 98382, USA (Dungeness NWR Visitor Center). The coordinates are 48°10′54.5″ N, 123°06′37.2″ W (decimal 48.1818081, ‑123.1103283).

2. Construction and History

The New Dungeness Lighthouse was constructed in the 20th century, although the exact date is not recorded. It serves as a commemorative beacon and visitor center at the mouth of the Dungeness River, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

3. Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse tower is a small white conical structure on a one-and-a-half-story dwelling, made of painted wood or fiber-glass cladding over a frame dwelling (typical of refuge visitor centers). The height of the tower is 20 ft.

4. Light and Navigation

The light characteristic is Fl W 5 s (one white flash every 5 seconds), with a nominal range of 18 nautical miles. The fog signal is a horn, one blast every 30 seconds. The lighthouse is automated, with no resident keeper, and functions as a commemorative beacon rather than a staffed Coast Guard station.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The visitor center and lighthouse are open to the public daily, during daylight hours (subject to seasonal change). There is no fee for visiting the lighthouse or viewing area, although refuge auto-entrance fees may apply. The surrounding area offers restrooms, interpretive exhibits, binoculars for wildlife viewing, and refuge trailheads.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

From the tower's base and nearby bluff, visitors can see migrating seabirds, seals hauling out on oyster beds, and on clear days the snow-capped Olympic Range across the water.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Although the tower echoes the design of 19th-century lighthouses, it was built primarily as a refuge visitor landmark. Locals sometimes jokingly refer to it as "the world's shortest spit lighthouse," since the real New Dungeness Light stands some 5 ½ miles out on the spit.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Ref 93001338) for its association with maritime navigation and wildlife refuge development. The official name is New Dungeness, and it has an alternate name of Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.

9. Further Information

For more information, visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Dungeness NWR website or consult the National Register of Historic Places (Ref 93001338).