Category Archives: Lighthouse

The Next State Park?

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I often wonder about what will become the next state park. I have always wanted to visit the remote 14 Mile Point Lighthouse located on Lake Superior near Ontanogon. It is privately owned but has been for sale for a long time, about ten years I think. I thought it would be nice if the land could be purchased by a grant or from a non-profit and donated to the state. It would make for a nice tourist attraction and possibly help to preserve or restore the historic lighthouse.

Built in the late 1890s the lighthouse was discontinued in 1955 and sold for $5,200 in 1957. Tragically in 1984, the lighthouse caught on fire from a campfire that was not properly extinguished. The brick walls and cast iron lantern room is all that remains of the lighthouse. The lighthouse is in an extremely remote area without any roads leading to it.

The Lighthouse and property are currently for sale for $890,000. unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of money laying around but It seems like it would be something that would make for a nice park on Lake Superior.  You can see more about the property HERE

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Michigan State Parks for Lighthouse Lovers

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Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the United States. Of the approximately 125 lighthouses still standing in Michigan, a few of them are located in some of Michigan’s State Parks. Here is a list of parks you will want to visit to see the lighthouses that call these parks home.

Ludington State Park 
Big Sable Point Lighthouse stands in the dunes along Lake Michigan. It is a few miles from the campground and parking lot but well worth the hike to visit it.

Belle Isle State Park

The only light tower constructed for navigation is the Livingstone Memorial Light that proudly stands on the east end of the Island.

Tawas Point State Park

The park is home to one of the most visited lighthouses in the state. While you are camping you can see the light shining at night.

Leelanau State Park

The Grand Travers Lighthouse stands at the lip of the Leelanau Peninsula and is a popular destination for tourist visiting the peninsula. They say the old lighthouse is haunted and tours on the weekends in October are a popular event.

Grand Haven State Park

The beach at the Grand Haven State Park is one of the most popular beaches in Michigan. The bight red Grand Haven Lighthouse stands on the pier separating the channel from the beach.

Fort Wilkins State Historic Park

The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is part of the state park. You can see it from a parking lot on the west side of M-41 that faces the harbor. The lighthouse is separated by private property and the road to the lighthouse is not open. Unfortunately the ferry service that took visitors to the lighthouse is no longer operating but hopefully, the state will be able to find a contractor to start the service again.

Sturgeon Point State Park 

The small state park on Lake Huron near Harrisville is home to the lighthouse maintained by the Alcona Historical Society.

Holland State Park

The lighthouse is known as “Big Red” guides sailors into the channel next to the state park beach. You can not access the lighthouse from the state park but you can get a good view and photographs of it from the park.

William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor

One of the newest lighthouses in Michigan stands on the Detroit River at the state harbor near the DNR’s Outdoor Adventure Center.

McLain State Park

The state lists a lighthouse at McLain State Park in the Keweenaw near Hancock. It’s more of a beacon that stands on a breakwater than a lighthouse but I figured I better include it on the list.

Silver Lake State Park 

The park is most noted for the sand dunes and ORV area but it does have a lighthouse. The Little Sable Point Lighthouse stands along Lake Michigan in the park and is open to visitors.

Colonial Michilimackinac Historic State Park

If you have ever driven across the Mackinac Bridge you have probably seen the Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse that stands on the shoreline in Mackinaw City. It is one of the most popular places to stop and take a pic of the bridge.

Cheboygan State Park 

You probably won’t find a lighthouse listed at the state park probably because it is no longer standing. The foundation can be found off the hiking trails and is still worth visiting. From the shoreline where the old lighthouse once stood you can see the Poe Reef Lighthouse in Lake Huron.

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Leelanau State Park’s Lighthouse

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Michigans State Parks not only have some of the states most scenic natural beauty but they are also home to some historic buildings. Many of those buildings are lighthouses that have guided captains and their ships for decades. The Leelanau State Park at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula stands the Grand Traverse Lighthouse guiding ships into Grand Traverse Bay.  The current lighthouse was built in 1858 replacing the first lighthouse constructed on the point. It was poorly built and only lasted about 6 years. The current lighthouse was deactivated in 1972 when it was replaced by an electric light on a steel skeletal tower.  The Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum, a non-profit group, renovated the old lighthouse in the 1980s and it is open for tours. The times that I have visited, the museum was closed, and I have never been inside but I hope to soon.

Time to announce the winner of the Camp Michigan t-shirt, congratulations to Richard Burr, He was the winner chosen at random, please email at Mike@huronphoto with your shirt size and address and I will send out your shirt.

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