Round Island Lighthouse

Mackinac Island is one of the most popular places to visit in Michigan. Each day tourists board the ferries that take them from either Mackinac City or St. Ignace to spend some time on this beautiful island. As you approach the island the ferry passes a charming little lighthouse called Round Island Lighthouse.

Here you see a photograph of the lighthouse as we passed by it on the ferry. This lighthouse was built in 1895 and has been kept in shape by a major renovation project in the 1980's. It is only reachable by boat in the summer or snowmobile in the winter months, however I found that with a good telephoto lens it can be viewed and photographed from several spots on the island. My first view of it was on the ferry, but the ferry was moving and I had to be quick to get this photo. After the ferry landed, I walked on the Main street to the left on the island and was able to get this view from the shoreline.

Later in the day we were walking along the shoreline in the other direction and as the shore makes a curve back toward the dock, I found that I could get another view of the lighthouse. I was a bit further away this time but with a 300mm lens, I was able to capture this photo.

The tower of the lighthouse is a solid red color and the attached house is red on the bottom and white on the second story. This gives it a very distinctive look. Stop by my Squidoo pages to read more about my Michigan lighthouse adventures.Michigan Lighthouses

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

This historic lighthouse is found in Mackinaw City just before you cross the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The lighthouse has been in operation since 1889, guiding ships through the waters of the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. When we visited in September of 2013, it was a cloudy and misty day. You can see in the photo above I was able to capture just a portion of the 5 mile Mackinac Bridge in the background. The rest of the bridge disappeared into the misty fog. In researching a bit about the lighthouse, I found that it served to guide ships for over 65 years through the dangerous waters. In 1957 it was decommissioned. It was no longer needed because the lights on the newly constructed bridge served to guide the ships. Today visitors can tour the lighthouse and visit the exhibits to get a feel for the importance this lighthouse played in the history of the shipping industry. I have photographed many lighthouses and this one has a very distinctive look and feel to it. I love the brick work on the tower. Here is a photo I took from the water side.

Read more about my adventures in photographing lighthouses. Lighthouse Photography

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse Postcard by lighthouseenthusiast
Browse Mackinac lighthouse Postcards

Grand Harbor Michigan Range Lights

This is a photo of the front range light for Grand Harbor Michigan. This range light is located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan just west of Munising. On my travels around the Great Lakes area, I have found that they often use a set of range lights instead of a lighthouse to guide the ships. Range lights are a pattern of lights, usually on the shore, that help to guide the ships through narrow passageways. The first time I saw a range light was in Bailey's Harbor in Wisconsin, but I have seen several since then especially along the Michigan coast of the Great Lakes. The ones that I have seen consist of two lights a front and a back range light.

This black and white light is the rear range light for Grand Harbor. You will notice that it looks much more like a typical lighthouse than the front range light pictured above. In the case of Grand Harbor, I found the front range light located on the shore and the rear range light just across the street in a wooded area. For more information on Michigan lighthouses I visited in the Upper Peninsula, stop by my article at Michigan Upper Peninsula Lighthouses.

Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

Eagle Harbor lighthouse is located on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan. It sits on the rocky coastline of Lake Superior It is said to be the most visited and photographed lighthouse on the Keweenaw Peninsula. In the summer of 2013, I traveled up the Keweenaw Peninsula and made a stop at the Eagle Harbor lighthouse. It is a beautiful lighthouse and well preserved. I visited the light, took a tour of the lighthouse and grounds and of course took lots of photographs. The photo above was taken from across the harbor. As you travel around the town of Eagle Harbor there are lots of places to get great photos of the lighthouse.

This photo was taken while I was touring the grounds. It gives you a close up view of the light tower.

I climbed out on some rocks on the side of the lighthouse to capture this view of Eagle Harbor. To read more about the lighthouses I visited on the Keweenaw Peninsula stop by my page at Keweenaw Peninsula Lighthouses

Copper Harbor Lighthouse

Copper Harbor lighthouse is found at the top of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A light station has been in Copper Harbor since 1849. It guided ships into this port on the shores of Lake Superior. The present lighthouse was built in 1866. You can reach the lighthouse by boat and take tours of the lighthouse, keeper's dwelling and museum. The day we visited Copper Harbor was a bit breezy, so instead of taking the boat out I elected to photograph the lighthouse from the overlook across from Fort Wilkins State Park and also from the Brockway Mountain overlook. Both of these overlooks provided a good view of the lighthouse and with a long lens I was able to capture some nice photos. Here is a notebook made from one of my closeup photos of the lighthouse.

Copper Harbor Lighthouse Note Books by lighthouseenthusiast You can read more about Copper Harbor lighthouse and other lighthouses in the Keweenaw Peninsula at the following link Keweenaw Peninsula Lighthouses

Big Bay Point Lighthouse

Big Bay Point Lighthouse is found on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This lighthouse which was established in 1896 is on the National Historic Places Registry. In 1986 this lighthouse was turned into a bed and breakfast. I was able to stay in this lighthouse for two nights in June and really enjoyed the experience.

This photo shows the view from the top of the tower. As a guest at the lighthouse you are able to climb the tower at anytime of the day and night. The views are stunning. The lighthouse is a great place to enjoy a quiet few days away from the stress of everyday life. It has 7 guest rooms each with their own private bath. The entire inside of the lighthouse is tastefully decorated in lighthouse decorations.

I have written more on my experience at the lighthouse on this Squidoo page Big Bay Point Lighthouse. You might also want to see some of my lighthouse products on ZazzleUpper Peninsula Lighthouse Gifts

Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse

Hillsboro Inlet lighthouse is found near Pompano Beach, Florida. I first visited this lighthouse about 5 years ago with my granddaughter, Rachel. I found it to be a great lighthouse to photograph through the palm trees and I wrote a Squidoo page on the lighthouse. You can read it at Lighthouse Through the Palms
This year when we were staying in Jupiter, we took a drive down to Pompano Beach so that I could photograph the lighthouse again. I thought there might be a better angle to take the photographs, but I do believe the park across the inlet where I took my photos the first time is the best vantage point. Hillsboro lighthouse is a skeletal tower type of lighthouse with the bottom half being white and the top of the tower plus the lantern house being black. The lighthouse is 142 feet tall and was originally built in 1906-1907. It is a working lighthouse that is operated by the Coast Guard. It is only open to the public during tour dates. Here is another photo that I took from the park with my zoom lens. <

Frankfort Michigan Lighthouse

I visited the light in Frankfort, Michigan in the summer of 2012. It was a bright sunny day and the white and black lighthouse was located at the end of a long concrete pier. I enjoyed the long walk out to the lighthouse, which I found to be a bit different than other lights I had seen. When I got up close it seemed to be almost two structures that were stuck together. In researching a bit about the light I found out that the original light was lit in 1873 at the end of a long wooden pier. This light didn't last and in 1932 the present light was moved to the northern breakwater and placed on top of a two story metal structure. Now I understood the different look to the lighthouse. Here is a closeup photo of the light.

I really enjoy seeing the lights in Michigan. There are such a nice variety of different types of lighthouses. Here is a page I wrote about some of my favorite Michigan lighthouses. Lake Michigan Lighthouses

Ludington, Michigan Lighthouse

Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse can be found along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan in the state of Michigan. It is located in Stearns Park and I was able to visit it on a clear day in July. The park was fairly busy and a lot of people were enjoying the stroll down the long pier to reach the 57 foot tall steel plated lighthouse. I enjoyed the walk and was able to photograph the lighthouse at various angles.

The lighthouse which is at the end of the breakwater in Pere Marquette harbor was first lit in 1924. It was automated in 1972 and is still operational today. Lake Michigan Lighthouses

Ludington Pierhead Light Ornament by lighthouseenthusiast
Create one-of-a-kind personalized ornaments at Zazzle