The keeper’s quarters at North Head Lighthouse offer a rare opportunity for guests to step back in time and experience what it’s like to live in a remote lighthouse on the scenic and rugged Washington state coastline.

The Ilwaco lighthouse is one of the best-preserved stations in the Pacific Northwest. Many of the historic buildings on the grounds are still standing.

North Head Lighthouse was completed in 1898 to aid ships coming into the Columbia River from the northern Pacific. The coastline is particularly deadly, nicknamed the Graveyard of the Pacific for the more than 2,000 ships wrecked in the area.

Washington State Parks renovated the century-old keeper’s quarters into vacation rentals in 2000. The historic buildings were built in 1902 to house lightkeepers and their families and sit just a short walk away from North Head Lighthouse and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

Each residence has three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and a living room with a TV and DVD player. The lodges are fully furnished with period pieces and modern comforts, providing a cozy refuge from the harsh elements on the coast.

Visitors can expect to feel the power of the area from within the sturdy walls of the keeper’s dwellings; the location is considered one of the windiest places in the United States, with wind velocities regularly reaching more than 100 mph.

Visitors have plenty to do nearby, including miles of hiking and biking trails, sandy beaches, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and the ruins of World War II-era tunnels and bunkers at Fort Canby. North Head Lighthouse offers seasonal tours, and visitors can climb to the lantern room to get spectacular views of the coast.