Best Upper Peninsula lighthouses in Michigan you need to see along Lake Superior! MAP + list! DIY Upper Peninsula lighthouse tour

Hi there!

There are said to be around 100 lighthouses remaining on the shores of Michigan!

These lighthouses are scattered across the Great Lakes, and many of them can be found along the shores of Lake Superior.

This map and list will focus on the Lake Superior lighthouses in Michigan, which also means that these are Michigan lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula (aka the UP), since Lake Superior only touches the Upper Peninsula portion of Michigan.

This is not an exhaustive list of Lake Superior lighthouses. But it does include lighthouses that can be a perfect part of a first trip to the UP!

There are also Lake Superior lighthouses along the shores of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario (Canada), but again, this list will focus on Michigan lighthouses.

This list goes from east to west along Lake Superior. If you’re coming from the lower peninsula of Michigan, you’ll cross the Mackinac Bridge and then arrive in the eastern part of the UP.

Basically, this is the general driving route you can take if you want to do a Lake Superior lighthouse tour for a great UP road trip! If you’ll be arriving to Michigan from Wisconsin, start the list from bottom up!

 

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1. Point Iroquois Lighthouse

Explore the map.

 

See more: Trip to Point Iroquois

Nearby campground: Brimley State Park campground

 

 

2. Whitefish Point Lighthouse

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A must-visit for Michigan lighthouse fans and Great Lakes lighthouse fans!

It’s said that there have been hundreds of shipwrecks along the Lake Superior coastline. Stop at Whitefish Point to learn about why Lake Superior is among the most dangerous areas for ships, and it’s even been called the “graveyard of Lake Superior” or further the “graveyard of the Great Lakes.” 

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at Whitefish Point. Learn more about Great Lakes maritime history.

You’ll also see a number of memorials in remembrance of the people who lost their lives in the powerful waters of Lake Superior.

The beach at Whitefish Point can be a rock hunting beach.

 

See more: Trip to Whitefish Point

 

 

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3. Vermilion Point life-saving station

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Vermilion Point is located around 10 miles down the shoreline from Whitefish Point, but you’ll be driving inland to get there so it will take a bit longer.

There is no lighthouse here, but there’s a “life-saving station.” This was the equivalent of the present-day U.S. Coast Guard. This stood as an important station to save lives because the shoreline here is also part of one of the most dangerous areas of Lake Superior.

Visit this Lake Superior life-saving station for a great UP experience. Vermilion Point will be great to visit because it requires taking somewhat of the “backroads” or the UP to get there! 

The beach at Vermilion Point can be a rock hunting beach.

 

See more: Trip to Vermilion Point

Nearby campground: Andrus Lake State Forest campground

 

 

4. Crisp Point Lighthouse

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And this is again located just a few miles down from Vermillion Point (maybe 5 miles or so), but once again you’ll be driving inland to get here so it will take longer. This is another spot you can go to for a great UP experience, driving some of the backroads of the UP.

The beaches at Crisp Point can be rock hunting beaches.

If you didn’t get a chance to get a lighthouse map from the West Michigan tourism people, you may find a map at the Crisp Point Lighthouse visitor center for a “donation” or $1 or so. (If you will be driving up from the south, the McGulpin Point Lighthouse visitor center in Mackinaw City may have the same map as well.)

 

See more: Trip to Crisp Point

Along the way: Things to do in Eastern UP

 

 

5. Grand Marais Harbor lighthouses

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This can be a visit as a stop along the way as you are driving further west. There is an “inner” light and “outer” light. You can walk across small sand dunes to get to the lighthouse pier. You can then walk out onto the pier to the outer light and see the Grand Sable Dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore off in the distance.

This is a rock hunting beach.

 

See more: Trip to Grand Marais Harbor

Along the way: Driving from Grand Marais to Pictured Rocks

 

 

6. Au Sable Point Lighthouse

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This is the lighthouse that’s located in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It requires a hike along Lake Superior to get to! You can hike here from Hurricane River or the Log Slide sand dunes.

 

See more: Trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Nearby campgrounds: Pictured Rocks campgrounds

 

 

7. Marquette Harbor Lighthouse

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Along the way: Stops on a drive from Munising to Marquette

 

 

8. Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light

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Go for a walk out on the pier of the Marquette lighthouse that’s located in the Presque Isle Park. While you’re here, go and visit the scenic “Black Rocks” area of the park too!

 

 

9. Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

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See more: Trip to Keweenaw Peninsula

Continue onwards west: Trip to Porcupine Mountains State Park

 

 

And that’s a bit about planning your Michigan lighthouse Lake Superior tour in the Upper Peninsula!

 

Explore the map.

 

 

See more about planning your Lake Superior road trip.

To make it a shorter trip, or a slower trip, you can also make it just an eastern UP road trip that will include the main shipwreck coast lighthouses listed above!

You can also make it a Lake Superior camping trip! There are a number of campgrounds that are right alongside the shores of Lake Superior.

You can make it a Michigan waterfalls tour too!

 

If you are interested in further exploring Michigan lighthouses, then be sure to order your FREE lighthouse map from the tourism people at the West Michigan Tourist Association. (The lighthouse map includes all the Great Lakes of Michigan, including Lake Superior, not just the lake that touches the western shores of Michigan.)

 

More for your trip to the UP beyond Lake Superior lighthouses

If you’re interested in Lake Superior lighthouses, then you may also be interested in these things around the UP:

• Tahquamenon Falls (map)
• Kitch-iti-kipi (the bubbling big spring of Michigan!) (map)
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (map)
• Presque Isle Park (map)
• Porcupine Mountains (map)
• Bond Falls (map)
• Best places to visit in the Upper Peninsula (for VIEWS!)

 

And for more lighthouses around the Great Lakes, see about making it a Lake Ontario lighthouse road trip in New York!

 

HAPPY LAKE SUPERIOR LIGHTHOUSE TRIP PLANNING!