Coastal Living originally featured some of these lighthouses in March-April 1998 (page 40). A story in our May-June 2000 issue described a family's experiences tending the Rose Island Lighthouse (page 126). Enjoy this compilation of enlightened lodging.

Sentinel Island Lighthouse, near Juneau, AK

You rule a 6-acre island. From the Art Deco lighthouse's 50-foot tower, visitors survey two bald eagle nests, passing pods of killer whales, and sea lions bellowing from the next island. Splashes of wildflowers change with the seasons—columbines, delicately scented roses, lady's slippers, chocolate lilies. At night, you lie snug in your sleeping bag listening to the songs of humpback whales. This is a true wilderness experience, basically indoor camping. You provide bedding and food; the Gastineau Historical Society provides heat, water, and cooking gear. Open year-round; prime time is May-September. Rates: $50 per person, not including transportation to the island; 907/586-5338.

North Head Lighthouse, Ilwaco, WA

Lighthouse keepers once occupied two Victorian-era houses on this cliff overlooking the place where the raging Pacific meets the Columbia River. The houses, each with three bedrooms and fully equipped modern kitchens, are part of Fort Canby State Park. They don't offer much in the way of decor. No matter. With these views, you'll spend your time looking out the windows anyway. Open year-round. Rates start at $229; 800/360-4240 or fortcanby.org.

Heceta Head Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast, Yachats, OR

Keepers Mike and Carol Korgan always insist that visitors take a nighttime trip to the lighthouse to see how the lens works. With flashlights in hand, guests clamber along a narrow trail carved into a cliff. They stand with backs against the tower and look up to see the brilliant beams of the light sweeping across the countryside and the churning Pacific Ocean, 205 feet below. It's an astonishing experience. The inn, converted from the keeper's house, offers a view of the light tower, the landmark Cape Creek Bridge, and the sea. Some visitors find the pounding of the surf so beguiling that they sleep with the windows open. Open year-round. Rates start at $147; 541/547-3696 or hecetalighthouse.com.

Point Arena Lighthouse, Point Arena, CA

Three hours north of San Francisco on Highway 1, a jagged peninsula stabs into the ocean. At its tip, a sleek, white lighthouse soars 115 feet into the salty air. Crashing waves, astonishing sunsets, rugged vistas—there's so much beauty you want to soak it in for days. And you can, in three (soon to be four) renovated houses built in the 1950's as keepers' quarters. Each features three bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a wood-burning fireplace, satellite TV, and an outdoor barbecue grill. Open year-round. Rates: October-April, $175; May-September, $190; 877/725-4448 or pointarenalighthouse.com.

East Brother Light Station, Point Richmond, CA

Neither TVs nor phones mar the simple but comfortable rooms, so there's not much to do but take in the scenery, relax, and get ready for a four-course dinner and a bay sunset. Of course, that's the appeal. The Victorian-style lighthouse building, finished in 1874, stands on an island the size of a football field in the straits that separate San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. It's a 10-minute boat ride from the mainland. With such a stunning location, you'll hardly notice the Coast Guard's electric foghorn, but the inn provides earplugs for light sleepers. Open year-round. Rates start at $290 per room, including boat rides to and from the island, hors d'oeuvres with champagne, a tour of the lighthouse, dinner with wines, and breakfast; 510/233-2385 or ebls.org.