Established in 1976, it is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

From each of these vantage points (at the right time of year) one can see commercial fishing boats, orcas, gray whales, California and Steller's sea lions, and various seabirds.

The Headland Trail offers an unrestricted view of Cape Blanco to the north and is a popular whale watching spot during the fall.

Built in 1934, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Port Orford Coast Guard Station) and was used by the U.S. Coast Guard until 1970.

[3] The museum includes the station's refurbished, unsinkable 36-foot (11 m) motor life boat, and information about the Japanese bombing of the south Oregon coast during World War II.