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The Chain

Lighthouses · The Big Lake

Lake Superior Lighthouses

51 lights on the Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota shore, the earliest on record established in 1848. 41 are on the National Register of Historic Places, and Split Rock Lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark.

Lighthouses

51

On the National Register

41

Earliest on record

1848

Deactivated

12

Chart of Lake Superior with 51 lighthouses markedAu Sable LightBig Bay Point LightCopper Harbor Front Range LightCopper Harbor LightCrisp Point LightEagle Harbor LightEagle River LightGrand Island East Channel LightGrand Island Harbor Front Range LightGrand Island Harbor Rear Range LightGrand Island North LightGrand Marais Harbor of Refuge Outer LightGranite Island LighthouseGull Rock Light StationHuron Island LightIsle Royale LightJacobsville LighthouseKeweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance LightKeweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance LightManitou Island Light StationMarquette Harbor LightMendota LightMunising Front Range LightMunising Rear Range LightOntonagon LightPassage Island LightPoint Iroquois LightPresque Isle Harbor Breakwater LightRock Harbor LightRock of Ages LightSand Hills LightStannard Rock LightWhitefish Point LightDuluth Harbor North Pier LightDuluth South Breakwater Inner LightDuluth South Breakwater Outer LightGrand Marais LightMinnesota Point LightSplit Rock LighthouseTwo Harbors Breakwater LightTwo Harbors LighthouseAshland Harbor Breakwater LightChequamegon Point LightDevils Island LightGull Island LightLa Pointe LightMichigan Island LightOuter Island LightRaspberry Island LightSand Island LightWisconsin Point Light
Michigan · 33Wisconsin · 10Minnesota · 8

The long watch

Earliest established on Superior

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

Est. 1848 · Grant Township, MI

Copper Harbor Light

46-foot tower · brick · National Register

Est. 1850 · Grant Township, MI

Manitou Island Light Station

79-foot tower · National Register

Est. 1851 · Eagle Harbor, MI

Eagle Harbor Light

44-foot tower · brick · National Register

Est. 1852 · Marquette, MI

Marquette Harbor Light

39-foot tower · National Register

Est. 1853 · Ontonagon, MI

Ontonagon Light

33-foot tower · dark since 1964 · National Register

Est. 1855 · MI

Rock Harbor Light

Brick · National Register

Lake Superior lighthouses in Michigan 33

Alger County 8

Chippewa County 2

County not listed 2

Houghton County 3

Keweenaw County 10

Luce County 1

Marquette County 6

Ontonagon County 1

Michigan Great Lakes lighthouses

Lake Superior lighthouses in Wisconsin 10

Ashland County 7

Bayfield County 2

Douglas County 1

Wisconsin Great Lakes lighthouses

Lake Superior lighthouses in Minnesota 8

Cook County 1

Lake County 3

St. Louis County 4

Minnesota Great Lakes lighthouses

Beyond the lights

More on Lake Superior

Lake Superior field guide82 Superior boat launchesLighthouses worth the detourHow to read a light
How many lighthouses are on Lake Superior?

This directory lists 51 lighthouses on the U.S. shore of Lake Superior and its connecting waters, in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 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 Superior?

By the earliest established date on record: Copper Harbor Light (1848), Manitou Island Light Station (1850), Eagle Harbor Light (1851). 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 Superior?

Among lights with a recorded tower height: Michigan Island Light at about 118 feet, Stannard Rock Light at about 98 feet, Sand Hills Light at about 92 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 Superior 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.