Constructed in 1869, the yellow brick light has been fully restored and is open for tours. William Livingstone Light – Detroit The light’s isolated location of the light made its construction an engineering feat in its day. 64. The square white lighthouse at Forty Mile Point has guided mariners through northwest Lake Huron since its construction in 1896. Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum & Whitefish Point Light Station – Paradise This Lake Huron lighthouse was constructed in the mid-19th century to help guide vessels along the Saginaw River. Set on the southern end of Beaver Island—a quiet stretch of land overlooking Lake Michigan—the honey-colored brick of Beaver Head Lighthouse, which dates from 1858, glows with the last rays of the sun. The six-story tower and its adjoining keeper’s house were crafted of a tough, buff-colored brick meant to withstand the most severe weather conditions. 7. By 1910, work started to build breakwaters to protect the harbor. The light’s brick keeper’s house has been converted into a B&B with two guestrooms. Grand Haven South Pier Inner and Outer Lights – Grand Haven When the two appeared to be a single light, the ship’s crew knew they were well-positioned to safely sail into port. Grosse Ile North Channel Front Range Light – Grosse Ile In fact, rumor has it that her spirit still returns every now and again. This beautiful 1858 lighthouse … The 87-foot Au Sable Light has been active since 1874 and includes an original keeper’s house with a small museum. The 1858 Point Betsie Lighthouse sits at a bulge in the West Michigan shoreline, a spot that once threatened ships en route to the Straits of Mackinac. Since 1876 the Tawas Point lighthouse has lit up Lake Huron on a shoreline that continually evolves and moves. The Six Best Lighthouses in Michigan . DeTour Reef Lighthouse – Drummond Island 1. St. Helena Island Lighthouse – St. Ignace, The tiny island of St. Helena just west of St. Ignace is home to this lighthouse, recognizable for its brilliant white 71-foot tower topped by a similarly eye-catching red lantern. 60. Look for the museum’s prized artifact: the salvaged ship’s bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Waugoshance Lighthouse – Mackinaw City The tower is open to visitors who want to climb the circular staircase to the light’s black, wrought-iron observation deck for a view of all Lake Michigan. A spiral staircase leads up the 62-foot tower, which, along with a lighthouse museum and pilothouse, are open to the public. Menagerie Island Lighthouse – Isle Royale  Entrance to the lighthouse tower is rare, and to its grounds through a gated community. You’ll need a car to reach this lighthouse—unlike other parts of Beaver Island—but once you reach the light visitors are permitted to climb the tower and admire the view. It is best to enjoy Big Red from the beach at Holland State Park, just across the channel. The St. Joseph lighthouses (there are actually 2 on the pier) have a history dating back to the early 1800s when the first lighthouse was in St. Joseph. Visitors can climb the tower and visit a keeper’s house museum. Once fully restored, the local keeper’s association plans to open the light to public tours. Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse – Alpena Big Red Lighthouse – Holland, Referred to merely as Big Red by locals, the Holland Harbor Lighthouse dates from 1907. The rest of the buildings, which date back to 1861, include displays about lighthouse keeping and lifesaving in the 20th and early 19th century as well as the excellent Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Set on an island neighboring Mackinac Island, the Bois Blanc Lighthouse stands out from its wooded backdrop, its tower and keeper’s quarters of sand-colored brick, the lantern atop its 38-foot tower a vivid white. But the most interesting sight at Forty Mile Point may well lay half-buried in the sand 200 yards from the lighthouse: a shipwreck dating from October 1905. Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A smaller 1909 building recreates keepers’ living conditions from the early 20th century. 5. 26. First lit in 1910, this 121-foot terracotta and steel lighthouse sits right off the shore of Wilderness State Park near Mackinaw City. This is a list of all lighthouses in the U.S. state of Michigan as identified by the United States Coast Guard. McGulpin Point Lighthouse – Mackinaw City, Two miles west of Mackinaw City, the McGulpin Lighthouse was part of a dozen or more lighthouses established to keep the Straits of Mackinac safe for shipping traffic. By 1914, permanent lights on the west breakwater were completed. 11. 27. The light served an immensely important role until 1957 when the Mackinac Bridge and its superior navigational aids rendered the lighthouse obsolete. 45. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Originally the tower was painted solid white, but in an effort to improve visibility a red-and-white spiral stripe pattern was added in later years, making the tower resemble a candy cane or a barber’s pole. Specifically, Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state in the country, thanks to the state’s early days as a major water passage. 2 Best Lighthouses in America. St. Joseph Lighthouse. Thank you! Love Michigan? The brilliant red tower of Muskegon’s South Pierhead Light draws shutterbugs to this magnificent strand of beach. Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast – Big Bay First constructed in 1832, this was the second lighthouse to come to Lake … Sand Point Lighthouse – Escanaba Standing in the Straits of Mackinac like a white rocket ship ready for launch, Gray’s Reef Lighthouse was first lit in 1936 and joins the ranks of many other lights built to secure the Straits. The first light here was illuminated on the south pier in 1870. From there, an NPS guide leads a 2-mile round-trip hike out to the stone lighthouse. Near the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, at the end of vineyard-strewn M-37, visitors discover Mission Point Lighthouse, a white clapboard light built in 1870. Crisp Point Lighthouse – Paradise, Crisp Point Lighthouse sits near Lake Superior’s ominously-named Shipwreck Alley, where many Great Lakes vessels were lost over the years. The lighthouse was originally built in 1825 and then rebuilt in 1829 and 1861. The octagonal brick tower of Eagle Harbor Lighthouse was constructed in 1851 to warn approaching ships of their proximity to the Keweenaw Peninsula. William Livingstone Memorial Light – We start our trip on beautiful Belle Isle, where you can find the … The 58-foot William Livingstone light was erected on Belle Isle in 1930, designed by Art Deco architect Albert Kahn and crafted by a sculptor, Gaza Moroti. Set on the entrance to the Portage River on the eastern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the Portage River Lighthouse was built in 1869. Many consider the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse to be the most famous lighthouse, considering that it was the first to be built on Lake Huron and the oldest surviving lighthouse in the state. Munising Range Lighthouses – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore 1957 when the Mackinac Bridge and its superior navigational aids rendered the lighthouse obsolete. Old and New Presque Isle Lighthouses – Presque Isle Established in 1839, two lights on the Grand Haven ‘s south pier, both painted red, are connected by a lighted catwalk that also connects them to the shore and the Grand Haven Boardwalk. Little Sable Point Lighthouse by John Dykstra South Haven South Pierhead Light – South Haven A red brick keeper’s quarters remains, and both are open to the public in warm weather. 49. 40. Visitors can climb the tower for sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. 36. The first lighthouse in the state, Fort Gratiot Light, was erected in 1825. Windmill Point Lighthouse – Grosse Pointe Park An interpretive trail highlights the history of the light as well as explaining the geology of this Lake Michigan peninsula and the migratory Monarch butterflies that pass this way every autumn. Michigan is home to lights on four of the Great Lakes, Lake St. Clair and connecting waterways. Flickr Creative Commons/Don DeBold Such amazing structures, with so much history and purpose. The light remains an active navigational aid and can only be seen by boat. For a $5 donation (children under 12 are $2), you can climb its full 112 feet for … 37. Start in southwest Michigan at the St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse, known for its breathtaking wintertime photos. Board the MV Sandy for an 8-mile cruise to Passage Island. Costumed interpreters guide visitors through the lighthouse tower, a restored keeper’s quarters as well as the Straits Shipwreck Museum. The Marquette Harbor Light took a vital role in protecting ships entering the city’s coal docks in the 19th century, which, until the opening of Minnesota’s mines in the 1890s, formed the most important iron ore port on the Great Lakes. The 49-foot black-and-white-striped light was prefabricated in Ontario, then set in 22 feet of water where its base was filled with concrete and surrounded by a granite pier. Gray’s Reef Lighthouse – St. Ignace She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Access is only via private boat. Grand Traverse Lighthouse—Northport, MI. , and both are open to the public in warm weather. Visitors can climb the tower. They are excellent tourist destinations where people can relive the past and get an understanding of the challenges that were inherent in navigating the Great Lakes. Muskegon South Pierhead Light – Muskegon Peninsula Point Lighthouse – Escanaba  Grand Marais Range Lights – Grand Marais   Situated on the Straights of Mackinac that connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, this lighthouse was built in 1895 as a means to ease the hazards of traveling along the waterway. When I’m old, frail, and slightly senile, I want to be a lighthouse keeper. 62. 21. Constructed in 1869, the yellow brick light has been fully restored and is open for tours. The eye-catching white DeTour Reef Lighthouse sits offshore within Lake Huron and near Drummond Island. Today the light is privately owned and can only be enjoyed from a distance, by boat. role in protecting ships entering the city’s coal docks in the 19. Built in 1931 of reinforced concrete and steel, which sits atop a massive concrete pier, the 83-foot light has been lovingly restored and is open to visitors for tours. Here you’ll find the best Northern Michigan lighthouses to visit on your next vacation. The light was activated in 1873 and is a frequent landmark on Shepler’s Ferry’s lighthouse tours. Aiding the navigation of this tricky point was the soaring white Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse, which became operational in 1848. Check them out. Access to the tower is not open to the public, but visitors enjoy strolling the pier and shooting photographs from both North and South Beaches. The light was constructed in 1867 and operated along the Lake Huron shoreline until the mid-1920s. In the lighthouse keeper’s museum across the street, a small museum recounts maritime life on the Great Lakes. Built in 1872 near the eastern end of Isle Royale, the Passage Island Lighthouse is part of a popular boat tour out of Rock Harbor. See more ideas about Michigan travel, Michigan vacations, Lake michigan. A predecessor lighthouse took its turn guarding the shore, until shifting sand built up the point and rendered the light too far inland to be useful. Not only do we have some of the best fresh-water beaches in the country, but we also are home to some of the best shoreline structures around. Over time the light’s foundation settled, causing the Cheboygan Crib to tip over. 19. Point Betsie Lighthouse – Frankfort Visitors may climb to the top of the 70-foot tower and visit a nice maritime museum inside the former keeper’s quarters. Black icons are for lighthouses that are no longer standing. Many of Michigan’s lighthouses are open for tours, if only seasonally. Wander through the lighthouse’s three stories. First constructed in 1832, this was the second lighthouse to come to Lake Michigan. They ranked among the most treacherous stretches of water for mariners. The white tower and former keeper’s quarters and their brilliant red roofs stand out on Thunder Bay Island, a 215-acre limestone island set three miles east of Thunder Bay. Tour the honey-colored brick lighthouse and its square tower, and view Copper Harbor and its light from the water on a boat tour that departs from the light. It might be small in size, but the Point Betsie Lighthouse near … Fire-engine-red against the blue waters of Lake Michigan, the lighthouse sits at the end of the city’s southern pier, which in turn leads to Lake Macatawa and Holland’s working docks. This is a list of lighthouses in the United States.The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers, range lights, and pier head lights. Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse – Port Austin 31. Beaver Head Lighthouse – Beaver Island Visit the Isle Royale’s oldest lighthouse and its maritime exhibits on a guided NPS tour that includes a stop at the nearby Edisen Fishery. Tall and elegant or short and utilitarian, beautifully restored or lying silently forgotten, the dozens of lighthouses standing sentinel along Michigan’s 3,200 miles of shoreline are worth a visit. Originally built in 1869, the stone lighthouse fell into horrid repair after its decommissioning. 3701 Point Betsie Rd, Frankfort, MI 49635. The white lights rank as a beloved landmark in St. Joseph, the lights are still joined by their original catwalk. The light is still active and open to tours, and its quaint lighthouse keeper’s residence houses a small maritime museum. Although the Grosse Ile light is privately owned, tours of the house and its 50-foot light can be arranged through the active lighthouse society. Top Michigan Lighthouses: See reviews and photos of lighthouses in Michigan, United States on Tripadvisor. Enter your e-mail address for things to do, restaurants to try and much more! Now located in Cheboygan’s Gordon Turner Park, the lighthouse is open to the public for tours. Built in 1825, the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse claims a long history. This set on the Detroit River has never been active, although you wouldn’t know it to look at it. The lighthouse isn’t open for tours but you can snap pictures at its location in River Rouge’s Belanger Park. See more ideas about Lighthouse, Lake michigan lighthouses, Lake michigan. Guarding the entryway to the St. Mary’s River, where Lake Superior flows through Sault Ste. The white, bullet-shaped Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse sits at the end of a. pleasant pier in the heart of Ludington, surrounded by the beach and playground facility at Stearns Park. Its lighthouse keeper’s house since destroyed by fire, the 1866 fawn-colored brick tower of the Peninsula Point Lighthouse stands alone on the Stonington Peninsula. Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, the unusual Norman Revival “Castle of the Straits,” began illuminating the shipping lane in 1889. Add these and more to your travel plan 10. They’re both open for tours and sit alongside a beautiful sugar sand beach, also open to the public. Visit these Marquette lighthouses for a trip right out of a storybook. You will receive your first email soon. We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. 52. #9 of 94 Sights & Landmarks in Upper Peninsula. So goes the legend at this Port Huron lighthouse, a place where dramatic—even tragic—Great Lakes stories run rampant. Constructed in 1868 on a small island off the coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Gull Rock’s first lighthouse keeper noted that a full 6 feet of Lake Superior ice formed on the little island in winter. 42. Big Sable is known for its size and location along the shore of Lake Michigan. 39. 63. 30. From there, an NPS guide leads a 2-mile round-trip hike out to the stone lighthouse. Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. The wooden lighthouse, which resembles a schoolhouse with a tall bell tower, is painted red and white and has been fully restored to look as it would have in 1920. The red brick Big Bay Point Lighthouse stands 60 feet high, its square tower dating from 1896 and topped with a stunning white lantern. Point Betsie Lighthouse. 14. Mariners Memorial Light – River Rouge The outermost island in a collection of Lake Huron Islands, Thunder Bay Island had a reputation for destroying ships, which was why this lighthouse was constructed in 1832. South Haven Lighthouses: Best Lighthouse - See 668 traveler reviews, 322 candid photos, and great deals for South Haven, MI, at Tripadvisor. Rock Harbor Light – Isle Royale White Shoal Lighthouse – Mackinaw City Sturgeon Point Lighthouse – Harrisville Point Betsie Lighthouse – Frankfort. Others are home to bed and breakfast lodging or museums. This Detroit River light was constructed in 1885 and shaped like a ship, its point facing toward the river’s mouth, to help break up approaching ice floes. There is no public access to the lights themselves, although thousands enjoy walking and boating past the lights along the pier. Visit Middle Island and its Lighthouse via Middle Island Boat Tours, which includes a tour of the restoration progress at the light. Access to the lights themselves is prohibited, but visitors and locals enjoy walking the pier to see the lights up close. St. James Harbor Lighthouse – Beaver Island Catch a boat to the DeTour Reef Lighthouse at Fort Drummond Marine on Drummond Island or consider the light’s weekend keeper program. The tower is not yet open to the public, although visitors may explore the grounds. Passage Island Lighthouse – Isle Royale Set at the end of a lovely walkway just outside the city of Marquette, the brilliant red Marquette Harbor Light was originally lit in 1866 with a second story added in 1909. 57. Mission Point’s two-week keeper program is very popular. 15. If not otherwise noted, focal height and … Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Michigan Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other U.S. state. Map Of Lighthouses In Michigan has a variety pictures that connected to find out the most recent pictures of Map Of Lighthouses In Michigan here, and next you can acquire the pictures through our best Map Of Lighthouses In Michigan collection. 33. Awarded to the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy in June of 2010, these lighthouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are proud participants in the USLHS Passport Program. Point Iroquois Light Station. 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