Lighthouses of Canada: Eastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

The nation of Canada was created by the British North America Act in 1867 with Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia as the four original provinces. Nova Scotia is the province at the extreme southeastern corner of Canada. The southern and eastern parts of the province lie on a peninsula facing the Atlantic to the east and the Bay of Fundy to the west. To the north the peninsula is joined to the rest of Canada by an isthmus that separates the Bay of Fundy on the south from Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the north. Cape Breton Island lies to the northeast, separated from the main part of the province by the narrow Strait of Canso. The island faces Northumberland Strait on the southwest, the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the northwest, Cabot Strait to the north, the open Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Strait of Canso and Chedabucto Bay to the south.

In the 17th century Nova Scotia was called Acadia as a part of New France, the French empire in North America. Britain conquered Acadia in 1710 during Queen Anne's War and established the Nova Scotia colony in the peninsula. Cape Breton Island continued as a French colony until it was also conquered by Britain in 1758 during the Seven Years War (1756-63).

Cape Breton Island is nearly divided north to south by the intricate waterways of the Bras d'Or Lake, actually a small, brackish inland sea. At the south the St. Peters Canal joins Bras d'Or Lake to the Atlantic, completing the separation of the island. This page includes the lighthouses of the western half of Cape Breton Island including Richmond County and the Cape Breton Island Regional Municipality. All these lighthouses are east of Bras d'Or Lake.

Aids to navigation in Canada are maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard. In 2008, Parliament passed the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act to designate and protect historic lighthouses. Bras d'Or Lake.

CCG numbers are from the Atlantic Coast volume of the List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from Volume H of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
This outstanding web site has a wealth of photos, information, and news.
Nova Scotia Canada Lighthouses
Excellent photos plus historical and visitor information from Kraig Anderson's LighthouseFriends.com web site.
Nova Scotia
Lighthouse photos from visits by C.W. Bash in 2008.
Lighthouses in Nova Scotia
Photos available from Wikimedia; included is a large collection of photos by Dennis Jarvis (several appear on this page).
Leuchttürme an der kanadischen Ostküste
Photos of Nova Scotia lighthouses taken in 2004 by Bernd Claußen.
World of Lighthouses - Canada Atlantic Coast
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Nova Scotia - Gulf of St. Lawrence, North Coast, and East Coast
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Lighthouses in Nova Scotia, Canada
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Leuchttürme Kanadas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals
Official light lists from the Canadian Coast Guard.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for Cape Breton Island.


Louisbourg Light, Louisbourg, August 2022
Instagram photo by Roy Tanaka


Balache Point Light, Canso Canal, June 2022
Google Maps photo by Alain Quevillon

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Lighthouses

North Coast (Sydney Area) Lighthouse
#Point Aconi (2)
1989 (station established 1874). Inactive since 2012 and destroyed in 2014. This was an 11.5 m (38 ft) fiberglass tower with flared top, octagonal lantern and gallery. Tower painted white; lantern is red. 1-story wood keeper's house. Fog horn (6 s blast every 60 s). A 2007 photo is available, Jarvis has a 2011 photo, Bash has a distant view, and aerial photos from Marinas.com show the spectacular nature of the site. In September 2011 thieves broke into the station to steal copper wiring, putting the light temporarily out of service; Jarvis has a photo with an account of this incident. In 2012 the Bras d'Or and Area Historical Society was working on plans to restore the station as a tourist attraction. However, the lighthouse burned to the ground in a fire of suspicious origin in late February 2014. Before the fire the active light had been moved to a square skeletal tower (next entry). Located off NS 105, on the point, east of the Great Bras d'Or entrance. Site open. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-386.
* [Point Aconi (3)]
2012. Active; focal plane 25.5 m (84 ft); white light, 2 s on, 4 s off. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower carrying a daymark colored red with a white horizontal band. A 2018 photo is available, Trabas has a photo, Anderson's photos show the new tower, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of Point Aconi Road. Site open, tower closed. CCG A-796. Admiralty H0770; NGA 9080.
Sydney Range Front (Dixon Point) (2)
2010 replica of 1905 tower. Inactive since 2024. 17.5 m (58 ft) octagonal pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a vertical red stripe on the range line; lantern is red. A 2025 photo by Haif Bijuk is at right, Cheryl Judkins has a 2023 photo, Jordan Crowe has a photo, a 2019 closeup is available, the tower peeks above the tree line in a Google street view, and Google has a satellite view. In 2010 the Coast Guard replaced the original tower with a copy built with more durable materials; the original lantern was placed atop the new tower. Bash has a 2008 photo of the original lighthouse. In 2024 the range line was chnaged and new towerss were required. Trabas has Rainer Arndt's September 2024 photo of the new light on a 9 m (30 ft) skeletal tower and Google has a 2024 street view; it has a continuous green light and higher focal plane of 24 m (79 ft); the original focal plane was 18 m (60 ft). Google has an indistinct satellite view of the new location. Located off NS 239 on the south side of the western arm of Sydney Harbour. Site and tower closed (private property). Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-494; CCG A-782; Admiralty H0761; NGA 9104.
#Sydney Range Rear (1)
1905. Demolished sometime in 2008-09. This was a 12 m (40 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with red upper portion and a vertical red stripe on the range line. Bash has a photo taken in July 2008 and Marinas.com has aerial photos. Sometime in 2009 this lighthouse was replaced by a skeletal tower (next entry); Anderson has a photo of the second light and Google has a satellite view.

Sydney Range Front Light, Sydney, February 2025
Google Maps photo by Haif Bijuk
* Sydney Range Rear (3)
2024. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); green light occulting once every 10 s. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal pyramidal tower with lantern and gallery, colored white with a vertical red stripe on the range line; lantern is red.. Trabas has Rainer Arndt's distant 2024 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located off NS 239, on the south side of the western arm of Sydney Harbour, about 3.4 km (2.1 mi) south southwest of the front light. Site appears open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-641; CCG A-783; Admiralty H0761.1; NGA 9108.
Sydney Bar (5)
1973 (station established 1872). Active; focal plane 9 m (29 ft); continuous green light. Triangular skeleton mast on the northeast corner of a 5 m (16 ft) square concrete building, mounted on a concrete pier surrounded by sheet-steel pilings. Bash has a photo, Trabas has Jim Smith's photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Earlier lights at this exposed location were destroyed repeatedly by storms; the Nova Scotia Archives has a historic photo of the third (1912) lighthouse. Located on the end of the southeast bar in Sydney Harbour. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-493; CCG A-778; Admiralty H0760; NGA 9112.
* Low Point (Flat Point) (2)
1938 (station established 1832). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 5 s. 22 m (72 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted white. Rare Chance Brothers circular lantern, painted red; rotating aerobeacon. The 3rd order Fresnel lens, replaced in 1984, is reported to be in storage at the Coast Guard base in Dartmouth. 1-story wood keeper's house, painted white with a red roof. Fog horn (two 3 s blasts, separated by 3 s, every 60 s). A 2022 photo is at right, Jarvis has a photo ,Ahmed Khaldi has a 2021 closeup, Bash has a good photo, Dave Carter has a closeup photo, Trabas has a 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Wú Zihào has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. One of the earliest and most important light stations of Nova Scotia, this lighthouse is endangered by erosion of the cape it marks. Vandalized after the lighthouse was automated in 1988, the keeper's house was restored in 2002-03 by the Sydney Harbour Fortification Society. The building was scheduled to be opened in summer 2003, but vandals struck again in May of that year. In 2014 the Low Point Lighthouse Society was formed to work for heritage designation and restoration of the lighthouse. In 2015 the society won the top prize of $75,000 in the National Trust Lighthouse Matters fund drive. These funds were used to repair and repaint the cracked concrete exterior of the tower in November 2017. The Society plans to restore the lighthouse and develop it as a major tourist attraction. Major funding is needed for erosion control, however. In Novenber 2025 DFO announced approval and funding for a major project to control the erosion and restore the lighthouse. Located off NS 28 in New Waterford, marking the eastern entrance to Sydney Harbour. Visible from the Marine Atlantic ferries to Newfoundland. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-287; CCG A-775. Admiralty H0758; NGA 9100.
#Glace Bay Range Front (relocated)
1907. Inactive since about 1980 and destroyed in 2018. This was an approx. 5 m (16 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern. Lighthouse Digest has Dave Buckley's photo and Google has a 2012 street view and an indistinct satellite view. 2003 Buckley discovered this little lighthouse, previously thought to have been demolished, in the back yard of a private residence in Glace Bay. It was in very poor condition and in 2018 it was destroyed by fire. Lighthouse Digest featured the range lights in December 2003. Located near the end of Bathgate Street in Glace Bay. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-957.
[Glace Bay Range Rear (2)]
Around 1980 (station established 1907). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous red light. 9.5 m (31 ft) triangular cylindrical skeletal tower carrying a trapezoidal daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. Trabas has a 2022 photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Lighthouse Digest has Dave and Pat Buckley's photo of the original lighthouse, a 13 m (42 ft) square pyramidal wood tower. The front light is on a shorter skeletal tower. Located on the east side of Glace Cove. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CAN-897; CCG A-773; Admiralty H0752.1; NGA 9152.

Low Point Light, Cape Breton, July 2022
Instagram photo by kj.19.12
Flint Island (4)
1962 (station established 1856). Active; focal plane 21 m (70 ft); two white flashes, separated by 4 s, every 25 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; the lantern is red. Fog horn (3 s blast every 30 s). Darin Guthro has a closeup 2016 photo, a view from the sea is available, Trabas has a distant view, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Bing has a satellite view. A historic photo of the station is available. The first lighthouse burned in August 1864. The second (1865) was replaced in 1910 by the third, a hexagonal concrete tower. The lighthouse was automated in 1985 and the keeper's house burned to the ground the following year. Located about 8 km (5 mi) off Cape Percé, the northeastern tip of Cape Breton Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-180; CCG A-770; Admiralty H0750; NGA 9156.

East Coast (Louisbourg Area) Lighthouses
Scatarie (3)
1981 (station established 1839). Inactive since 2017. 16 m (53 ft) square pyramidal wood tower attached to a 1-story fog signal building, painted white. Fog horn (three 2 s blasts every 60 s). The two 1-1/2 story keeper's houses (1959) are collapsing. Darin Guthro's closeup 2018 photo is at right, Paul van der Est has a 2015 photo, the Main-à-Dieu Fishermen's Museum has a photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view of the station. This is the easternmost lighthouse in Nova Scotia and the province's tallest "pepperpot" lighthouse. The first lighthouse was an octagonal wood tower. The present tower replaced an 18 m (60 ft) pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinder built in 1953. The historic double keeper's house burned in 1957. In 2017 the Coast Guard installed a new solar powered LED light. Scatarie Island, off Cape Breton, is a narrow island about 10 km (6 mi) long. Uninhabited, it is protected as a wildlife refuge and wilderness area. Located at the northeast point of Scatarie Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Nova Scotia Environment (Scatarie Island Wilderness Area). ARLHS CAN-451. Active light: CCG A-767; Admiralty H0742; NGA 9164.
#Main-à-Dieu (3)
1979 (station established 1871). Replaced in 2015. This was a 9 m (30 ft) fiberglass tower, painted white with two horizontal red bands. Google has a satellite view. The first lighthouse was a keeper's house with a square church-style light tower. It was replaced in 1934 by the second lighthouse, a square keepers' house with a lantern centered on the roof. In 2015 the fiberglass tower was replaced by a 9 m (30 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a daymark colored red with a white horizontal band (focal plane 24.5 m (81 ft); white flash every 4 s). Trabas has a view of the active light. Located at the west point of Scatarie Island, off Cape Breton, guarding the Main-à-Dieu Passage. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-296. Active light: CCG A-766; Admiralty H0744; NGA 9168.
[Little Lorraine (3)]
Date unknown (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 10.5 m (34 ft); continuous green light. 4.5 m (15 ft) round cylindrical tower painted white with a red band at the top. Trabas has a 2022 photo, Wikimedia has a photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. The original square wood lighthouse was replaced by a skeletal tower in 1946. Located on a promontory on the west side of the entrance to Little Lorraine Harbour. Site status unknown. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1371; CCG A-761; Admiralty H3342; NGA 9196.

Scatarie Light, Cape Breton, January 2018
Google Maps photo by Darin Guthro
** Louisbourg (4)
1923 (station established 1734, although inactive 1758-1842). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 10 s. 17 m (55 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern is red. Historic lenses from the lighthouse are displayed at the Louisbourg Marine Museum in Louisbourg. Fog horn (blast every 20 s). Sanjiv Arora's 2022 photo appears at the top of this page, Renzel Hernandez has a 2023 photo, Jarvis has a 2011 photo, Trabas has a 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was in need of some restoration in Christine Goulet's 2021 photo. This is Canada's oldest light station, established by France during the period when Cape Breton Island (then called Île Royale) was a French colony. The original lighthouse was a round stone tower 16.5 m (54 ft) tall. Unfortunately it had a wooden lantern, which caught fire in September 1736 destroying the structure. A new stone tower, 17 m (56 ft) tall, replaced it in 1738. It was heavily damaged in 1758 during the second British siege of Louisbourg in the Seven Years ("French and Indian") War, and it was never repaired. The third lighthouse, built under British rule in 1842, burned in 1922. Foundations of both the 1738 and 1842 lighthouses have been stabilized and preserved. The Louisbourg Lighthouse Society works for preservation of the lighthouse and has applied to own it. During 2023 a $1.3 million restoration prepared the lighthouse for its ecntennial celebration set for 2024. Located at the end of Havenside Road on the north side of the entrance to Louisbourg harbor. Parking provided. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Louisbourg Lighthouse Society . ARLHS CAN-286; CCG A-756; Admiralty H3344; NGA 9204.
[Louisbourg Range Front (2?)]
Date unknown (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); continuous yellow light. 5 m (17 ft) skeletal mast carrying a daymark colored white with a red vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view and a street view showing both range lights. The range guides vessels entering Louisbourg Bay. This beacon replaced a square wood tower. Located on the west side of the bay about 2 km (1.25 mi) south of the town waterfront; the Louisbourg Old Town Trail passes the two range lights. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1372; CCG A-757; Admiralty H3348; NGA 9208.
[Louisbourg Range Rear (2?)]
Date unknown (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); continuous yellow light. 6.5 m (21 ft) skeletal mast carrying a daymark colored white with a red vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view and a street view showing both range lights. Located 166 m (545 ft) west of the front light; the Louisbourg Old Town Trail passes the two range lights. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1373; CCG A-758; Admiralty H3348.1; NGA 9212.
* Gabarus
1891. Active; focal plane 16.5 m (54 ft); continuous red light. 9.5 m (31 ft) hexagonal pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery are red. is at right, A 2020 photo is at right, Bash has a great 2008 photo, Jarvis has a fine 2011 photo, Mark Plummer has a photo, Trabas has a closeup 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Matt Dagley has a 2017 street view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was endangered by erosion and needed to be moved back from the cliff face. In 2014 the Gabarus Lightkeepers Society formed to apply for ownership of the lighthouse and students from Cape Breton University helped develop the required business plan. The Society has a YouTube video of the lighthouse. In 2015 the society was awarded $50,000 in the National Trust Lighthouse Matters competition, plus another $6,000 throgh crowdfunding. The lighthouse was moved back from the cliff on 26-27 November 2015. Located at the end of Harbour Point Road, off NS 327, in Gabarus. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard (?). . ARLHS CAN-189; CCG A-753; Admiralty H3358; NGA 9224.

Gabarus Light, Gabarus, November 2020
Instagram photo by hikeraud
* #Rouse Point (1)
1982. Removed in 2015. The light was mounted on a short mast above the square fog signal shed. Fog horn (two 3 s blasts every 60 s). Jarvis has a good photo, Trabas has a 2022 photo, and Google has a satellite view. In 2015 the building was demolished and the light moved to a 4 m (14 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a red and white daymark (focal plane 9 m (30 ft); one long yellow flash every 6 s). Located on a promontory about 600 m (0.4 mi) northeast of the Gabarus waterfront. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-435. Active light: CCG A-752.6; Admiralty H3359; NGA 9226.
Guyon Island (3)
1964 (station established 1877). Active; focal plane 16 m (53 ft); white flash every 20 s. 13 m (43 ft) hexagonal pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery are red. Fog horn (6 s blast every 60 s). Two small keeper's houses (1964) in poor condition. Brad Mills has the 2022 view from the sea seen at right, Trabas also has a view from the sea, Darin Guthro has a photo of the station, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse was replaced in 1927 by the lighthouse seen in a historic photo from the Nova Scotia Archives. Endangered by age and poor maintenance. Located offshore about 11 km (7 mi) south of Louisbourg. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-219; CCG A-750; Admiralty H3360; NGA 9232.

Guyon Island Light, Cape Breton, July 2022
Google Maps photo by Brad Mills

Richmond County Lighthouses

Fourchu and St. Esprit Lighthouses
[Fourchu Head (3)]
Date unknown (station established 1907). Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white light, 2 s on, 4 s off. 9 m (30 ft) square skeletal tower carrying red and white daymark panels. 1-story wood fog signal building (1956). Clayton Isajenko has a 2021 closeup photo, Trabas has a fuzzy distant view, and Google has a satellite view. This light tower replaced a 10 m (32 ft) fiberglass tower, painted white with two narrow horizontal red bands, installed in 1979. Jarvis has a distant view of the fiberglass tower and Marinas.com has aerial photos, The original lighthouse was a 10 m (33 ft) wood "pepperpot" tower. Located on the point about 18 km (11 mi) southwest of Louisbourg. Accessible by a fairly strenuous hike from the South Fourchu waterfront. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-182; CCG A-747; Admiralty H3362; NGA 9236.
[St. Esprit Island (2?)]
Date unknown (station established 1880). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white light, 2 s on, 10 s off. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with an enclosed lower portion and a daymark colored with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has a 2022 photo, a very distant view is available and Google has a distant satellite view. Anderson's page has several historic photos of the original lighthouse. Its foundation ruins survive next to the present tower. Located on a small island about 1.6 km (1 mi) off the coast near St. Esprit. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-754; CCG A-743; Admiralty H3368; NGA 9252.

St. Peters Area Lighthouses
Lower l'Ardoise (L'Ardoise Harbour) Range Front (relocated)
1909. Inactive since about 1970. 7 m (23 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern, painted white with red trim; lantern roof is red. Google has a satellite view and a 2024 street view. Lower l'Ardoise is a harbor at the eastern entrance to St. Peter's Bay. After deactivation the lighthouse was purchased by the Morrow family and relocated to Point Michaud, about 8 km (5 mi) east of the original location. Located just off Point Michaud Road (NS 247) at the junction of Point Michaud Beach Road. Site and tower closed (private property). Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-1227.
Lower l'Ardoise (L'Ardoise Harbour) Range Rear
1909. Inactive since about 1970. 7 m (23 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern. Taras Tymozhynskyi has a 2022 photo, a distant 2024 street view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Critically endangered. According to Bob Crawford's 2005 report the lighthouse was then "located in a farmer's field where it is has been used as a wood shed." Lighthouse Digest has Crawford's photo but misidentifies the tower as the front range light. Located in a field at the end of Brymer Road, off NS 247 in Lower l'Ardoise. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-1228.
* Jerome Point (St. Peter's Bay) (2)
1956 (station established 1883). Active; focal plane 15.5 m (51 ft); continuous red light. 10.5 m (35 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern is red. The modern keeper's house (1956) was used after automation as the residence of the St. Peter's Canal lockmaster. Rhonda Landry's 2022 photo is at right, Jarvis has a good 2011 photo, Bash has a good 2008 photo, Trabas has a closeup 2022 photo, a 2021 photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view and a closeup street view. This lighthouse is in a popular provincial park with a campground and picnic area nearby. Located at the east side of the entrance to St. Peter's Canal from St. Peter's Bay in St. Peter's. Accessible by paved road; parking provided. Site and park open mid June to mid September, tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Battery Provincial Park. . ARLHS CAN-255; CCG A-734; Admiralty H3380; NGA 9264.

Jerome Point Light, St. Peter's, October 2022
Instagram photo by Rhonda Landry
* Cape George Harbour (St. Peter's) (2)
1950 (station established 1875). Inactive since 2013 (?). 8 m (27 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern is red. Adam King has a 2020 photo showing the historic lighthouse and its replacement (the portion showing the historic light is at right), Bill Clyne has a distant view, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. Trabas has a photo of the active light (focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); white flash every 4 s.) on an 8 m (27 ft) square skeletal tower carrying red and white daymarks. This is one of two Cape George Lights in Nova Scotia, the other being on the west side of St. George's Bay (see Northwestern Nova Scotia). In October 2020 the lighthouse was added to the list of Heritage Lighthouses. However, the abandoned tower is critically endangered. Located on the west side of the northern entrance to St. Peter's Inlet, the southern arm of the lake leading to St. Peter's Canal. Accessible by a short walk from the parking lot of the Bras d'Or Lake Lighthouse Campground, off NS 4 in St. Peter's. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-099. Active light: CCG A-840; Admiralty H0838; NGA 9060.
[Gregory Island (3)]
2013 (?) (station established 1884). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 4 s. 10.5 m (34 ft) square skeletal tower carrying green and white square daymarks. Trabas has a 2022 photo and Google has a satellite view. The historic lighthouse (a square wood tower) was replaced in 1950 by a steel tower; Ken Heaton has a 2012 photo of the 1950 light. The keeper's house was sold and relocated in 1975; its present location is not known. The lighthouse was relocated a few meters southwest in 1988. Located on an island in St. Peter's Inlet. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-215; CCG A-841; Admiralty H0839; NGA 9064.
 

Cape George Harbour Light, St. Peter's, August 2020
Google Maps photo by Adam King
 
River Bourgeois (Bourgeois Inlet) (3) (replica)
2003 replica of the original 1903 lighthouse. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 7.5 m (25 ft); continuous red light. 8 m (26 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern is red. Allan Touesnard has the 2020 photo at right, Bash has a 2008 photo, Jarvis has a view from the bay, Trabas has a 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view and a very distant street view. This lighthouse is a replica of the original 1903 tower, which the Coast Guard burned in 1989 after it was replaced by an aluminum skeletal tower. Residents protested this destruction. In 2003 the light station was sold to a local group, which immediately built the replica. Located at Church Point in River Bourgeois northeast of Grandique Ferry. Accessible at low tide, but access may be cut off at high tide. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: River Bourgeois Community Services Society. . ARLHS CAN-056; CCG A-732; Admiralty H3386; NGA 9396.
[Ouetique Island (3)]
Date unknown (station established 1874). Activ; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); red flash every 4 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) triangular skeletal tower carrying a daymark colored with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has a fuzzy 2022 photo and Google has a satellite view. Anderson has a historic photo of the first lighthouse. Foundation ruins of the second (1949) lighthouse are seen next to the modern light. Located on an island in the Lennox Passage, between the mainland and Isle Madame. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1309; CCG A-731; Admiralty H3384; NGA 9265.

River Bourgeois Light, River Bourgeois, April 2020
Google Maps photo by Allan Touesnard

Isle Madame Lighthouses
Isle Madame, an island about 16 km by 11 km (10 by 7 mi), is separated from the south coast of Cape Breton Island by a narrow strait, the Lennox Passage. The island has a population of about 4300 and is accessible by bridge on NS 320.

*
Grandique (Grand Dique) Point (2)
1907 (station established 1884). Active; focal plane 9 m (29 ft); continuous green light. 8.5 m (28 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern is red. Jenny Chaisson's 2022 photo is at right, Jarvis has a photo Trabas has a closeup 2022 photo, Pieter Groot has a 2019 closeup, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse, which replaced a light on a pole, marks a dangerous north-pointing spit. In 1963 and again in 2010 it had to be moved southward to escape continuing beach erosion. Located on the north side of Isle Madame facing the Lennox Passage, a strait connecting St. Peter's Bay to the Strait of Canso. Accessible by a gravel road within the provincial park. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Lennox Passage Provincial Park. ARLHS CAN-208; CCG A-729; Admiralty H3392; NGA 9267.
[Hawk Island (Poulaman) (2?)]
Date unknown (station established 1901). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) triangular skeletal tower with enclosed lower section carrying a daymark colored with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has a 2022 photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a tiny island on the south side of the eastern entrance to the Lennox Passage. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1213; CCG A-730; Admiralty H3388; NGA 9266.
#Green Island (2)
1927 (station established 1865). Inactive since 1968. This was a 2-story square wood keeper's house, formerly with a lantern centered on the roof. It is not known when this building was demolished (it was gone by 2012) but Google's satellite view shows only the foundation. The light was replaced by a skeletal tower in 1968 and then by the current lighthouse in 1986. In 1971, the lantern was replaced by the emitter of an electronic foghorn. Keepers continued to live in the building until 1986. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard.

Grandique Point Light, Isle Madame, August 2022
Google Maps photo by Jenny Chaisson
Green Island (4)
1986 (station established 1865). Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); two long (2 s) flashes, separated by 2 s, every 20 s. 11.5 m (38 ft) fiberglass tower with lantern, painted white; lantern is red. 1-1/2 story keepers house and fog signal building intact. Lighthouse marks the northeastern entrance to Chedabucto Bay and the Strait of Canso. Trabas has a 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. This is one of two Green Island Lights in Nova Scotia, the other one being at Yarmouth (see Southern Nova Scotia). Located at the summit of a small island to the southeast of Isle Madame. Accessible only by boat; visible from Cap Rouge on Petit-de-Grat Island, which is accessible by road from Isle Madame. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-211; CCG A-722; Admiralty H3376; NGA 9312.
*Marache Point (Arichat, Cape Auguet) (4)
2018 (station established 1851). Active; focal plane 10 m (34 ft); continuous white light. 7.5 m (25 ft) square pyramidal tower with lantern and gallery, colored white; lantern is red. Jenni Boswell has the 2020 photo at right, Jarvis has a photo, Martin Cathrae has a photo, Trabas has a 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. This station was known as Arichat Light until 1970, when the keepers' houses were sold and removed. (It is not known if they survive.) The original lighthouse, a short tower, was replaced by a 2-story structure in 1869. In 2017 residents agreed with a Coast Guard proposal to replace the 1949 wood lighthouse with a replica made of more durable materials, and this replacement was accomplished in 2018. Located at the southern entrance to Arichat Harbour on the south coast of Isle Madame; accessible by a short walk on a dirt road. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. . ARLHS CAN-303; CCG A-708; Admiralty H3404; NGA 9356.
Jerseyman Island (3)
2017 (station established 1872). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); continuous red light. 7.5 m (25 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern is red. The keeper's house was sold and removed in 1980. Harvey Hensley has a 2022 photo, Trabas has closeup 2022 photo, a 2019 view from the sea is available, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse was replaced in 1950. The 1950 tower became seriously deteriorated and was replaced by a new tower of the same design in 2017. Jarvis has a photo of the earlier lighthouse, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a very distant street view from the mainland. Located at the north end of the island, south of Isle Madame, marking the western entrance to Arichat Harbour. Accessible only by boat, although there is a view from the mainland. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-256; CCG A-707; Admiralty H3406; NGA 9364.

Canso Canal Lighthouse
* Balache Point Range Rear
1963. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); continuous red light. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a red vertical stripe on the range line; lantern is red. Alain Quevillon has the 2022 closeup at the top of this page, Jarvis has a photo, Bash has a photo, Trabas has a closeup 2022 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The front light is on a 6 m (20 ft) skeletal tower. The range guides vessels entering the Canso Canal; completed in 1955, the canal provides a tidal lock allowing safe navigation of the narrow Strait of Canso separating Cape Breton Island from the mainland. Located at the northern entrance to the canal, off the Trans-Canada Highway just west of the Canso Causeway. Site and tower closed but the lighthouse can be viewed from outside the fence. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-017; CCG A-702; Admiralty H3436.1; NGA 8708.


Marache Point Light, Arichat, October 2020
Google Maps photo by Jenni Boswell

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Adjoining pages: South: Eastern Nova Scotia | West: Northwestern Nova Scotia

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Posted June 2003. Checked and revised April 28, 2025. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.