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The Chain

Lighthouses · The Island Sea

Lake Huron Lighthouses

30 lights on the Michigan shore, the earliest on record established in 1825. 22 are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lighthouses

30

On the National Register

22

Earliest on record

1825

Deactivated

8

Chart of Lake Huron with 30 lighthouses markedAlpena LightBois Blanc LightCaseville Harbor LightCharity Island LightCheboygan Crib LightDeTour Reef LightFort Gratiot LightForty Mile Point LightFourteen Foot Shoal LightGravelly Shoal LightHarbor Beach LightMartin Reef Light StationMiddle Island LightNew Presque Isle LightOld Mackinac Point LightOld Presque Isle LightPipe Island LightPoe Reef LightPointe Aux Barques LightPort Austin LightPort Sanilac LightRound Island Light (Mackinac County)Round Island Light (Chippewa County)Round Island Passage LightSaginaw River Rear Range LightSpectacle Reef LightSturgeon Point LightTawas Point LightThunder Bay Island LightWawatam Lighthouse
Michigan · 30

The long watch

Earliest established on Huron

By the founding date on record. Most stations were rebuilt at least once; the tower you see may be younger.

Est. 1825 · MI

Fort Gratiot Light

85-foot tower · National Register

Est. 1831 · MI

Thunder Bay Island Light

62-foot tower · National Register

Est. 1839 · MI

Saginaw River Rear Range Light

Brick · dark since 1960 · National Register

Est. 1840 · MI

Old Presque Isle Light

36-foot tower · dark since 1871 · National Register

Est. 1848 · MI

Pointe Aux Barques Light

89-foot tower · National Register

Est. 1853 · MI

Tawas Point Light

66-foot tower · National Register

Lake Huron lighthouses in Michigan 30

Alcona County 1

Alpena County 3

Arenac County 1

Bay County 1

Cheboygan County 4

Chippewa County 2

County not listed 2

Emmet County 1

Huron County 4

Iosco County 1

Mackinac County 5

Presque Isle County 3

Sanilac County 1

St. Clair County 1

Michigan Great Lakes lighthouses

Beyond the lights

More on Lake Huron

Lake Huron field guide47 Huron boat launchesLighthouses worth the detourHow to read a light
How many lighthouses are on Lake Huron?

This directory lists 30 lighthouses on the U.S. shore of Lake Huron and its connecting waters, in Michigan. That counts towers, pierhead and breakwater lights and range lights that have their own public record; it leaves out unrecorded minor aids. Canadian lights are not included.

What is the oldest lighthouse on Lake Huron?

By the earliest established date on record: Fort Gratiot Light (1825), Thunder Bay Island Light (1831), Saginaw River Rear Range Light (1839). Many stations were rebuilt, so the tower standing today is often younger than the station's founding date.

What is the tallest lighthouse on Lake Huron?

Among lights with a recorded tower height: New Presque Isle Light at about 108 feet, Pointe Aux Barques Light at about 89 feet, Fort Gratiot Light at about 85 feet. Not every light has a height on record, so this is the tallest we can document, not a full survey.

Can you go inside Lake Huron lighthouses?

Some, not all. Many are run by parks, museums or volunteer societies that open the tower in season; pierhead and offshore lights are usually closed or reachable only by boat. Each lighthouse page links to its fuller history and, where one exists, the operator. Check with them before you go.

Data from Wikidata (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-09; National Register references link to NPS NPGallery. Shoreline from Natural Earth (public domain). Charts are not for navigation. Corrections to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.