ALPENA, MI – This adventure tour along Michigan’s Lake Huron shoreline includes five spectacular lighthouses within a two-hour drive of each other. The Alpena area boasts the “best collection of lighthouses on the Great Lakes,” according to Visit Alpena , the local visitors bureau. That collection includes seven lights from Presque Isle to Harrisville.
However, two of them – Middle Island Light Station and Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse – are on islands and require a boat ride to reach. In this article, we’ll focus on the five lights you can reach by land. You can visit all five lights in a day, if you’re determined.
Or take your time exploring and add other fun activities to your Alpena-area trip. The sightseeing tour begins at 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, then it’s a 32-minute drive to New Presque Isle Lighthouse, which is about a mile down the road from the Old Presque Isle Light Station. From the old lighthouse, it’s a 33-minute drive to Alpena’s “Little Red” Lighthouse.
The route concludes at the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse, which is a 38-minute drive from “Little Red.” Continue reading for more information about each lighthouse. 40 Mile Point Lighthouse This lighthouse was built in 1896 to assist ships through the dangerous shoreline where open water, hidden shoals and false bays had claimed a number of vessels, according to Visit Alpena.
Follow a trail to the beach to see what’s left of the Joseph S. Fay, one of 27 wooden ships that sank durin.
