By the Beacon
Red Lake Michigan pierhead lighthouse beyond a raised steel catwalk beneath a cloudy sky
Lighthouses / Michigan

Michigan.
Follow the beacons.

Follow Michigan’s shores from harbor piers to remote island towers. Explore eight regions and the surviving landmarks of a long maritime history.

Find a lighthouse by region, name, or nearby town. This directory brings together surviving historic stations and notable modern lights, including relocated buildings and clearly identified ruins. Select a map pin to see the same facts you’ll find in the listings below.

127 listings   /   8 regions
Header photograph · Todd
Explore by region

Find your next light.

Choose a region, then select a pin to explore a lighthouse.

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127 lighthouse sites across eight regionsZoom with + / − or pinch. Pins mark sites, not public access.

These eight regions are browsing areas created for this directory. Pins identify lighthouse sites, not entry points or permission to visit. Relocated structures and offshore stations have notes where needed. Search and filters also update the map.

127 lighthouse listings
DeTour Reef Lighthouse on its concrete platform with visitors on the deck
Photograph by Todd

DeTour Reef

De Tour Village, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
63 ft
Ownership
DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society
Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.Explore Lighthouse Guide →
The compact iron tower stands beside the Coast Guard building in Sault Ste. Marie.
Photograph by Todd

Frying Pan Island

Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

Relocated historic light

The small historic tower is displayed ashore in Sault Ste. Marie, away from its former island station.

Tower height
18 ft
Ownership
U.S. Coast Guard
Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.Explore Lighthouse Guide →
Photograph not yet available for Gibraltar Keeper’s Residence
Photograph not yet available

Gibraltar Keeper’s Residence

Gibraltar, Michigan

Keeper’s residence survives

The lighthouse tower was removed; the former dwelling survives at this location.

Tower height
Tower removed
Ownership
Private ownership
Southeast Michigan & Waterways
Photograph not yet available for Grand Island
Photograph not yet available

Grand Island

Munising, Michigan

Inactive historic light
Tower height
40 ft
Ownership
Private ownership
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
The waterfront approach leads toward the Inner Light, with Lake Superior harbor water alongside.
Photograph by Todd

Grand Marais

Grand Marais, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
34 ft / 47 ft
Ownership
U.S. Coast Guard (towers); National Park Service (dwelling)
Lake Superior & Isle RoyaleExplore Lighthouse Guide →
Gull Rock
Otis-n · CC BY-SA 4.0 · License · resized / WebP

Gull Rock

Copper Harbor, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
46 ft
Ownership
Gull Rock Lightkeepers and Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
Photograph not yet available for Huron Island
Photograph not yet available

Huron Island

Baraga, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
39 ft
Ownership
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
Isle Royale (Menagerie Island)
Cwbash · CC BY 3.0 · License · resized / WebP

Isle Royale (Menagerie Island)

Calumet, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
61 ft
Ownership
U.S. Coast Guard
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
Photograph not yet available for Kalamazoo River Lighthouse Replica
Photograph not yet available

Kalamazoo River Lighthouse Replica

Douglas, Michigan

Modern replica
Tower height
30 ft
Ownership
Private ownership
West Michigan
Photograph not yet available for Lake St. Clair
Photograph not yet available

Lake St. Clair

Roseville, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
40 ft
Ownership
U.S. Coast Guard
Southeast Michigan & Waterways
Photograph not yet available for Manitou Island
Photograph not yet available

Manitou Island

Copper Harbor, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
80 ft
Ownership
Keweenaw Land Trust
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
Photograph not yet available for New Buffalo Lighthouse Replica
Photograph not yet available

New Buffalo Lighthouse Replica

New Buffalo, Michigan

Modern replica

This pin marks the beach replica, not the demolished historic lighthouse.

Tower height
Not confirmed
Ownership
Ownership not confirmed
West Michigan
Old Mackinac Point
Photograph by Todd

Old Mackinac Point

Mackinaw City, Michigan

Inactive historic light
Tower height
Approx. 58 ft to lightning rod
Ownership
Mackinac Island State Park Commission
Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.Explore Lighthouse Guide →
Ontonagon
Photograph by Todd

Ontonagon

Ontonagon, Michigan

Inactive historic light
Tower height
34 ft
Ownership
Ontonagon County Historical Society
Lake Superior & Isle RoyaleExplore Lighthouse Guide →
Photograph not yet available for Passage Island
Photograph not yet available

Passage Island

Calumet, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
44 ft
Ownership
National Park Service
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
The relocated rear range light on the lawn at Marine City’s waterfront park.
Photograph by Todd

Peche Island

Marine City, Michigan

Relocated historic light

The historic rear-range tower was moved ashore to Marine City; the pin marks that location.

Tower height
60 ft (relocated tower)
Ownership
Marine City
Southeast Michigan & WaterwaysExplore Lighthouse Guide →
Restored Presque Isle front range light
Photograph by Todd

Presque Isle Range

Presque Isle, Michigan

Inactive historic range lights

The preserved historic range structures are inactive; a modern replacement operates nearby.

Tower height
17 ft front / 33 ft rear
Ownership
Presque Isle Township (front); private ownership (rear)
Northeast Lake HuronExplore Lighthouse Guide →
Rock Harbor
Ray Dumas · CC BY-SA 2.0 · License · resized / WebP

Rock Harbor

Calumet, Michigan

Inactive historic light
Tower height
50 ft
Ownership
National Park Service
Lake Superior & Isle Royale
Sand Point Baraga Lighthouse beyond white daisies
Photograph by Todd

Sand Point (Baraga)

Baraga, Michigan

Inactive historic light

The historic brick lighthouse is inactive; a separate skeletal beacon stands nearby.

Tower height
Not confirmed
Ownership
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Lake Superior & Isle RoyaleExplore Lighthouse Guide →
The complete tapered steel tower on the museum lawn, with the passage beyond.
Photograph by Todd

Six Mile Point Range Front

De Tour Village, Michigan

Relocated historic light

The historic tower stands ashore in DeTour Village, away from its original range-line location.

Tower height
20 ft
Ownership
DeTour Passage Historical Museum
Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.Explore Lighthouse Guide →
The tall, riveted rear range tower rises above the lawn at the Les Cheneaux Maritime Museum.
Photograph by Todd

Six Mile Point Range Rear

Cedarville, Michigan

Relocated historic light

The historic tower is displayed at the Les Cheneaux Maritime Museum in Cedarville.

Tower height
49 ft
Ownership
Les Cheneaux Historical Museum
Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.Explore Lighthouse Guide →
The original South Fox Island lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling, with red roofs, green shutters, and surrounding woodland.
Photograph supplied by Todd

South Fox Island

South Fox Island, Leelanau County

Inactive historic lights
Tower height
45 ft original / 100 ft later tower
Ownership
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Northwest Michigan & IslandsExplore Lighthouse Guide →
Spectacle Reef
· Public domain

Spectacle Reef

Cheboygan, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
93 ft
Ownership
Private ownership
Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.
Photograph not yet available for Squaw Island
Photograph not yet available

Squaw Island

Beaver Island, Michigan

Inactive historic light
Tower height
50 ft
Ownership
Private ownership
Northwest Michigan & Islands
Photograph not yet available for St. Clair Flats Canal Range
Photograph not yet available

St. Clair Flats Canal Range

Harsens Island, Michigan

Active navigation light
Tower height
39 ft front / 100 ft rear
Ownership
Private ownership
Southeast Michigan & Waterways
St. Martin Island’s weathered tower and red-roofed keeper’s dwelling above the beach.
Photograph by Todd

St. Martin Island

Escanaba, Michigan

Active navigation light

Managed by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

Tower height
75 ft
Ownership
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
Southern U.P. — Lake MichiganExplore Lighthouse Guide →

A few bearings before you go

“Active” describes navigational use, not public access. A museum may preserve an active light, and a privately owned tower may still serve mariners. Check the operator’s current visiting information before setting out.

The directory includes standing lighthouse buildings, surviving towers, selected modern lights, and identified ruins. Demolished historic lights are omitted unless a significant building from the station survives. Range stations may be listed together; their tower heights are distinguished where documented.

Heights describe the tower itself, rather than the elevation of its light above the water. Where a reliable measurement or current owner could not be confirmed, the entry says so. The map does not show safe landing places, boat routes, or permission to enter private property.

Eight shoreside chapters

West Michigan

On the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, harbor entrances and tall dune-side towers mark a route from New Buffalo to Ludington. Short walks to pier lights alternate with longer approaches through sand and woodland.

Northwest Michigan & Islands

North of Ludington, the coast curves past Manistee and the Leelanau Peninsula toward Little Traverse Bay. Offshore stations on the Manitou, Fox, and Beaver islands recall the importance of these open-water passages.

Straits of Mackinac & Eastern U.P.

At the meeting of Lakes Michigan and Huron, island towers and offshore shoal lights helped vessels negotiate a busy crossroads. Farther east, range lights along the St. Marys River marked the course toward Lake Superior.

Northeast Lake Huron

The western shore of Lake Huron combines wooded points, island stations, and harbor lights. From Rogers City to Tawas, these beacons tell the story of lake commerce and the dangers of a shoreline that could offer both shelter and shoals.

Thumb & Saginaw Bay

Saginaw Bay opens into the long curve of Michigan’s Thumb. River ranges, reef lights, and coastal stations trace a route past Port Austin and Pointe aux Barques to the entrance of the St. Clair River at Port Huron.

Southeast Michigan & Waterways

Here the lighthouse story follows channels as much as open shore. River lights and ranges served vessels moving between Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie, often within sight of communities on both sides of the international boundary.

Southern U.P. — Lake Michigan

Along the Upper Peninsula’s southern coast, harbor and island lights served timber, fishing, and commercial shipping. The route runs from Menominee through the bays around Escanaba to Manistique and Seul Choix Point.

Lake Superior & Isle Royale

Michigan’s Lake Superior lights stand on rocky mainland points, harbor approaches, and distant islands. The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale add another chapter: navigation through exposed water far from easy shelter.