Upper Peninsula Lighthouses Open to the Public on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior Scenic Boat Tours of Off-Shore Lights

Tour lighthouses that still stand guard over treacherous shoals, and museums that tell tales of tragic wrecks and valiant rescues. A ship, permanently docked as a museum, provides glimpses of sailors' lives and work. Visit this sampling of maritime museums and discover others when you travel in Upper Michigan. Museums are open for visitors during the summer and for special events . Click here for a Map showing the location of the lighthouses that are open to the public. Scenic boat cruises offer views of some of the lighouses on islands and reefs in Lake Superior and Lake Huron.

Au Sable Point Lighthouse and Maritime Museum

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, MI 49862. Phone: (906) 387-2607 or (906) 387-3700

 

 

Copper Harbor Lighthouse and Museum on the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Sorry but this lighthouse is no longer open for tours. The boat tour from Copper Harbor State Marina to the Copper Harbor Lighthouse is closed due to the absence of a contractor. The Copper Harbor lighthouse is l ocated on state park land; however, the area between Fort Wilkins Historic State Park and the lighthouse is situated on private land and passage between the two is NOT allowed.

 

 

Crisp Point Lighthouse
North of Newberry, MI at the site of the old Crisp's Point Lifesaving Station. Only the Tower remains and it is open on weekends during the summer for climbing.Take CR-500 north from M-123 to CR-412. Follow CR-412 to the Lighthouse. Watch for signs. Gravel road through the wilderness. Photo at top of this page.

DeTour Reef Light
Located 1 mile off-shore at the mouth of the St. Mary's River in northern Lake Huron, between DeTour Village and Drummond Island in the far Eastern Upper Peninsula, this light was built in 1931 to replace the 1861 DeTour Point Light Station. The 3 1/2 order Fresnel lens is on display at the DeTour Passage Historical Museum in DeTour Village. 2 hour guided, narrated tour of the Light on Saturdays or Sundays in June, July, and August . Volunteer light keepers weekends available during the summer. * St. Mary's River Lighthouse Cruise from DeTour Village to Sault Ste. Marie on Fathers Day. Return to DeTour Village by bus that evening.

Eagle Harbor Light Station and Museum Complex
This is a major haunted lighthouse. Read a first hand account by a former resident.
Lighthouse Museum, Maritime Museum, Commercial Fishing Museum, plus much more. Star Route I, Eagle Harbor, MI 49950 on the Keweenaw Peninsula . Phone: (906) 337-1263

Marquette Harbor Lighthouse
Marquette, MI. Built in 1853 and now open for tours. Stop at the Maritime Museum across the street for tour information. 300 Lakeshore Boulevard. Marquette, MI 49855. Phone: 906-226-2006. Open third week in May through October.

Ontonagon Lighthouse
Ontonagon County Historical Museum
422 River Street. Ontonagon, MI 49953. Phone: 906-884-6165
Lighthouse self-guided tours are available anytime between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. seven days a week from mid-May to mid-October. Buy tickets at the museum on 422 River Street or at the lighthouse. A volunteer will be on hand to answer your questions. You can go to the top and get a beautiful view of Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains.
Stop at the historical museum to see the 5th Order Fresnel Lens and see the lightkeepers’ logs on display, as well as a vast array of information about the area’s fascinating mining, logging, and fishing history.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse and Maritime Museum

Bay Mills Township, Hiawatha National Forest. Lakeshore Drive just west of Brimley, MI

Sault Ste. Marie Ranger Office, 4000 I-75 Business Spur. Sault Ste. Marie, Ml 49783 Phone: (906) 635-5311, (906) 437-5272. Climb the tower for a wonderful view and possible freighters passing. Gift Shop

Sand Point Lighthouse Baraga, MI. Located on Keweenaw Bay in Lake Superior, the keepers dwelling has been recently restored to its original beauty by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The dwellin g is not open but visitors are welcome to tour the grounds.

Whitefish Point Light and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

110 Whitefish Point Road . Paradise, MI 49768 . Phone: (906) 635-1742 (summer & winter)

(906) 492-3436 (summer only)

 

Naubinway Island Light is on a small island about 1 mile offshore in Lake Michigan surrounded by rocks and shoals. Established in 1931 to guide local vessels into the harbor at Naubinway. Original skeleton tower renoved and replaced by white cylindrical tower. Active light.

 

Seul Choix Lighthouse, Park and Museum
The Haunted Lighthouse . Operated and maintained byThe Gulliver Historical Society . RR 1, Box 79 . Gulliver, MI 49840. Phone: 906-283-3183. Climb the tower for an awewome view of Lake Michigan. Gift Shop

MANISTIQUE EAST BREAKWATER LIGHT. This picturesque red lighthouse is on the end of the breakwater at the east end of the harbor where the Manistique River flows into Lake Michigan. It can be conveniently viewed from the Boardwalk or the Park near the Harbor and Marina.

PENINSULA POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOWER and PARK Hiawatha National Forest at the southern tip of the Stonington Peninsula. Tower is open for climbing and there is a nice picnic area. The Minneapolis Shoal Light can be seen on a clear day. South of Rapid River on CR-513 about 17 miles. RV's and tall vehicles need to park at the parking lot and walk about 1 mile to the lighthouse as the road goes through a tunnel of low trees.

SAND POINT LIGHTHOUSE and MUSEUM at the edge of Ludington Park, Escanaba, MI
Restored to original condition by the Delta County Historical Society
Open to the public fromJune 1-Sept.1 (9-5 EST), during September (1-4 EST)
Mary Terry, one of the first women keepers on the Great Lakes, kept this light from 1868 to 1886.
Sand Point Lighthouse. P.O. Box 1776. Escanaba, Michigan 49829. Phone: (906) 786-3763

	CEDAR RIVER LIGHTHOUSE Cedar River Range Lights were located at the mouth of the Cedar River. The Front Range was buily in 1889 and the Rear Range built in 1891. Both lighthouses were square pyramidal wood skeletal towers and have been demolished. The Keepers Dwelling, a 1 & 1/2 story brick and wood structure and the old oil house survive and are privately owned.
	MENOMINEE NORTH PIERHEAD LIGHT Marinette & Menominee North Pierhead Light was built in 1927 and is a red tower with a black lantern mounted on a concrete platform. You can walk on the pier out to the lighthouse in good weather, but the lighthouse is closed to visitors. This is an active light marking the harbor.
	PESHTIGO REEF LIGHTHOUSE Located 10 miles south of Marinette at the mouth of the Peshtigo River. The Lighthouse is 3 miles offshore on a trecherous reef and can only be seen by boat.

TOURS and LIGHTHOUSE CRUISES to view Off-Shore Lights

DeTour Reef Light is located in the St. Mary's River between DeTour Village and Drummond Island. The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society is restoring this light and offers 2 hour guided, narrated tours on Saturday or Sunday during June, July, and August. Phone 906-493-6609 or e-mail drlps@lighthouse.net. C lick Here for dates, prices, and times of departure. Lighthouse Keeper Program. St. Mary's River Cruise from Detour Village to Sault Ste. Marie on Fathers Day. Return that evening by bus to De Tour Village.

Manitou Lighthouse	Gull Rock Lighthouse	Stannard Rock Lighthouse

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LIGHTS THAT CAN BE SEEN FROM YOUR CAR OR WITH A SHORT STROLL.

There are also many lighthouses on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan that you can easily see from your car but they are not open to the public. Some of the off-shore Lighthouses in Lake Superior can be seen by charter boat.

MUNISING FRONT and REAR RANGE LIGHTS on LAKE SUPERIOR
Located on M-28 on the west side of Munising The Lighthouse has been purchased by the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

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CHRISTMAS MICHIGAN FRONT and REAR RANGE LIGHTS Also called the Grand Island West Lights or the "End of the Road" Highway M-28 on the east side of Christmas

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GRAND ISLAND EAST CHANNEL LIGHTHOUSE Built in 1867, this lighthouse an be viewed from the Shipwreck Tour or the Pictured Rocks Cruise. The lighthouse is located on private property on Grand Island.

BIG BAY POINTE LIGHTHOUSE Located on Lake Superior, 23 miles northwest of Marquette. This light was established in 1896 and automated in 1945. The Big Bay Pointe Lighthouse is now privately owned, but may be viewed from the road.

MENDOTA LIGHTHOUSE Built in 1870, the Mendota Lighthouse is located across from Bete Gris near Lac La Belle, in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Lighthouse guided ships into the Mendota Ship Canal. There is no public access as this lighthou se is privately owned.

EAGLE RIVER LIGHTHOUSE The Eagle River Light Station was first established in 1854 on a bluff at the mouth of the Eagle River and once guided ships into this busy shipping port. With the dangerous Sawtooth Reef offshore, this lighthouse was very important during the copper boo m with tons of copper shipped from the nearby Cliff Mine. The original lighthouse fell into repair and was rebuilt in 1874 and housed a 6th order Fresnel Lens. The light was deactivated in 1908 as the copper boom at Cliff Mine came to an end. Unfortunatel y, the Sand Hills Light Station a few miles west of Eagle River at 5 mile point was not constructed until 1917 and at least 10 ships were lost on Sawtooth Reef located off the shoreline at Eagle River. The Sand HIlls Lighthouse is privately owned and is a Bed and Breakfast Inn.

PORTAGE ENTRY EAST LIGHT, also called the Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light is located on a concrete pier by the town of Jacobsville, on the north side of Portage Lake. This light can be viewed from Jacobsville or  the Portage Entry Roads south of Chassell.

JACOBSVILLE LIGHTHOUSE The Portage River (Jacobsville) Lighthouse was first lit in 1870 housing a fifth order Fresnel lens. It is located in the town of Jacobsville at the entrance from Lake Superior (Keweenaw Bay) to the Portage River. The light was deactivated in 1900 and replaced by the Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Pierhead Light. The lighthouse is still standing and is privately owned.

SAND POINT LIGHTHOUSE IN BARAGA. Located on Sand Point (Keweenaw Bay) one mile north of Baraga the lighthouse was built in 1887. The lighthouse is privately owned by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and not open for visitors, but visito rs can walk on the grounds. Go north of Baraga on US-41 and turn right on the road past the Department of Natural Resources Building that goes to the Ojibwa Campground and follow the signs.

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Copper Harbor Lighthouse and Museum on the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Sorry but this lighthouse is no longer open for tours. The boat tour from Copper Harbor State Marina to the Copper Harbor Lighthouse is closed due to the absence of a contractor. The Copper Harbor lighthouse is loca ted on state park land; however, the area between Fort Wilkins Historic State Park and the lighthouse is situated on private land and passage between the two is NOT allowed.

MARITIME MUSEUMS
MARQUETTE MARITIME MUSEUM, 300 Lakeshore Boulevard. Marquette, MI 49855. Phone: 906-226-2006. The museum showcases the history of the areas shipping industry. Open the third week in May through October. Guided tours of the Marquette Lighthouse. Operational Fresnel Lens from Stannard Rock, one of the largest lenses used on the Great Lakes. Edmund Fitzgerals display. World War II Silent Service Memorial honoring USS DARTER and USS DACE crews. Gift shop with maritime books, CD's , videos, lighthouses, and nautical gifts.

EAGLE HARBOR MARITIME MUSEUM at the Eagle Harbor Light Station. Open mid June through mid October. Life boat from the Eagle Harbor Life Saving Station. 

MUNISING COAST GUARD STATION MUSEUM near the end of Sand Point Road in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has the 36' motor lifeboat, "Grand Marais" on display in the old boathouse.

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Never bloomed the earth so gayly,

Never shone the sun so brightly,

As to-day they shine and blossom

When you come so far to see us.

Never was our lake so tranquil,

Nor so free from rocks and sand-bars;

For your birch canoe in passing

Has removed both rock and sand-bar.

Song of Hiawatha W.W. Longfellow

Photos of Gull Rock, Manitou, Mendota, and Stannard Rock by Brian Helmenen, Sand Point Charters