01
Tawas Point Lighthouse
A barber-pole brick tower on a growing sand spit, with the original 4th-order Fresnel lens still in the lantern room. May–October.
Maritime · Year-round · 14 sites
Season · May – October (most climbable)
Lighthouses.
Fourteen historic lighthouses along the 200-mile coast — from Tawas Point's 1876 brick tower to Old Mackinac Point at the Straits. Eight are open to climb in season.
Tawas Point Light · summer
Total lights
14 standing
Along 200 mi of coast
Open to climb
8 in season
May–Oct typical
Oldest
1832
Thunder Bay Island Light
Best cluster
Alpena · 4
Within 30 mi
Where to see them · 8 climbable
Eight lighthouses you can climb, south to north.
Curated by Sunrise Coast Council editors. Routes, sites, and pull-offs from south to north along US-23.
02
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
A boxy white light at the end of a sand spit, with an original Fresnel on display in the basement museum. Jun–Sep, weather permitting.
03
New Presque Isle Lighthouse
Michigan's tallest active lighthouse — climb the 130 steps inside the brick tower for views over Lake Huron.
04
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
The short rubble-stone original, two-tenths of a mile from its tall replacement. Adjacent keeper's cottage museum.
05
Alpena Pier Light
A small bright-red steel pier light a quarter mile out into the harbor. Most photographed lighthouse on the coast.
06
40 Mile Point Lighthouse
A square white tower attached to a keeper's house, with the bow of the Joseph S. Fay (wrecked 1905) preserved on the lawn.
07
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
A cream-brick Romanesque revival light in the shadow of the Mackinac Bridge. Sunset views are unmatched.
08
McGulpin Point Lighthouse
Older than Old Mackinac, with a private little beach below the bluff and a Fresnel lens display upstairs.
A cluster of four
The densest lighthouse cluster on the Great Lakes.
Four historic lighthouses sit within roughly thirty miles of Alpena — Sturgeon Point south, Middle Island offshore (1905), Thunder Bay Island offshore (first lit 1832; current tower rebuilt 1857), and the Alpena Pier Light in the harbor itself. The Thunder Bay Island station is among the oldest continuously active lights on the Sunrise Coast — Michigan's oldest surviving light is Fort Gratiot (1825/1829) on the St. Clair River, south of Lake Huron's coast. No other stretch of the Great Lakes carries this density of operating beacons.
They were built fast and close because Thunder Bay was — and remains — the most navigationally treacherous water in Lake Huron. The 200-plus shipwrecks in the sanctuary are the other half of the story.
4 lights
In 30 mi
1832
Oldest on coast (Thunder Bay Is)
1914
Newest (Alpena Pier)
Lighthouses · a cluster of four
"A lighthouse is just a candle in a window scaled up to the size of a problem."— Sunrise Coast Council editorial
Gear & know before you go
What to bring, what's provided.
Bring
- Sturdy shoes — stairs are steep and narrow
- Water bottle for warm days
- Binoculars for the lantern room view
- Camera (no flash inside most lights)
Know before you climb
- Most climbs run May through October
- Heights vary from 51 to 130 steps
- Tickets are typically $5–$8
- Some lights close in high wind
Best time of day
- Sunrise: Alpena Pier (faces east)
- Sunset: Old Mackinac Point
- Midday: Tawas Point (least heat haze)
- Year-round photogenic: 40 Mile Point
Questions · 4 answers
Lighthouses on the coast — questions.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most.
Q.01
What can I expect from lighthouses on Michigan's Sunrise Coast?
Fourteen historic lighthouses along the 200-mile coast — from Tawas Point's 1876 brick tower to Old Mackinac Point at the Straits. Eight are open to climb in season.
Q.02
When is the best time of year for lighthouses on the Sunrise Coast?
The recommended season for lighthouses on Michigan's Sunrise Coast is May – October (most climbable). Total lights: 14 standing — Along 200 mi of coast.
Q.03
Where are the best spots for lighthouses on the Sunrise Coast?
8 climbable along the 200-mile coast. A standout option: Tawas Point Lighthouse — Tawas · 1876 · $8 · 85 steps. A barber-pole brick tower on a growing sand spit, with the original 4th-order Fresnel lens still in the lantern room. May–October.
Q.04
What gear or preparation do I need for lighthouses on the Sunrise Coast?
Bring: Sturdy shoes — stairs are steep and narrow; Water bottle for warm days; Binoculars for the lantern room view; Camera (no flash inside most lights).