The U.S. state of Michigan comes in two parts: the Lower Peninsula (between Lakes Huron and Michigan) and the Upper Peninsula (between Lakes Michigan and Superior). Putting the two together, the state has an astonishingly long coastline, so it is not surprising that Michigan has more lighthouses than any other U.S. state, by quite a large margin. The Directory has information on more than 130 sites. This lighthouse heritage is well recognized. Michigan is the only state that supports lighthouse preservation with a program of annual grants from the state to local preservation groups. All over the state, volunteers are working hard to save and restore lighthouses. There is a state preservation society, the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy, and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association is also based in the state. This page lists lighthouses on the northeast coast of the Lower Peninsula from Cheboyan to Saginaw Bay. There's another page for the southeastern coast, one for the west coast (Lake Michigan) and others for the eastern and western Upper Peninsula. Aids to navigation in Michigan are maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District; Aids to Navigation (ANT) teams are based at Sault Sainte Marie and Saginaw River. Ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Along the Canadian border, CCG numbers are from the List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. USCG numbers are from Volume VII of the United States Coast Guard Light List.
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![]() 1840 Presque Isle Light, Presque Isle, October 2006 Flickr Creative Commons photo copyright C.W. Bash |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Eastern Upper Michigan | South: Southeastern Lower Michigan | West: Western Lower Michigan
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Checked and revised November 11, 2018. Lighthouses: 35. Site copyright 2018 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.