Nearby Attractions

 

Lighthouses

Other lighthouses near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore are listed below with a short description. You can find more details on these and other Michigan lighthouses through Terry Pepper's website, Seeing The Light.

Point Betsie Lighthouse

Point Betsie Light was completed in 1858 at a cost of $3,000. This is located just south of the Lakeshore and is open to the public for tours during the summer. It was an important beacon on the lake and the original 37-foot tower was replaced with the 100-foot structure that still stands today. The ten-sided cast iron lantern houses a Fourth Order Fresnel lens with flash panels and was originally turned by a weighted clockwork mechanism. The two-story keeper's dwelling is rectangular with a gambrel roof, which was enlarged in 1894. Point Betsie became the last manned light station on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. It was fully automated in 1983.

Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Grand Traverse Light was built to mark the entrance to the west side of Grand Traverse Bay. The lighthouse was ordered built in 1852 for $4,000. The present brick lighthouse was built in 1858 and made into a duplex in 1900. The foundation bricks used in the two-story house came from the first lighthouse. The light tower, a square frame structure 7.5 feet on a side, extends from the gabled roof of the dwelling. The light had a Fourth Order Fresnel lens imported from France. At first, the lens was lit by a kerosene lamp, but later powered by electricity. Sounding its mournful warning for many miles, the steam fog signal was housed in a rectangular brick building erected in 1899. A brick "oil house" was also constructed. The Coast Guard abandoned the old lighthouse and built a steel skeleton structure in 1972 near the old buildings. Today, daytime navigation is aided by red and white markers on this tower. Located in Leelanau State Park, the lighthouse has been restored by the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Foundation and is now a museum and open to the public.

Mission Point Lighthouse

Mission Point Light was originally approved by congress in 1859 to be built with $6,000. It was called the Cat's Head Point Light Station. The construction of the station was delayed by the Civil War. In 1870, the Mission Point station located on the 45th parallel was finally completed. This beacon warned vessels entering Grand Traverse Bay of the rocky shoals that extend two miles from the Old Mission peninsula. The original light was removed, but the square tower still remains atop the gabled roof of the keeper's frame dwelling. Until June, 1933 there had been a succession of six keepers, including a female lighthouse keeper (1906-08). The lighthouse, which is not open to the public is owned by Peninsula Township and is surrounded by a 120-acre public park.

South Fox Island Lighthouse

South Fox Island Light is located about 17 miles off Cat's Head Point at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. The lighthouse was commissioned by Congress on March 2, 1867. The tower was constructed of Cream City brick with 13 inch thick walls and a square tower 45 feet tall.

The lantern was outfitted with a flashing red fourth-order Fresnel lens, and the light was first lit on November 1, 1867. The Lighthouse was originally outfitted with a steam-operated fog whistle, but the system was later upgraded to a diaphone fog signal.

In 1934 a more modern cast iron skeletal tower was carefully disassembled from the Sapelo Island lighthouse and shipped to South Fox Island where it was re-assembled. Finally a diesel engine was installed to provide electricity for the light and compressed air for the fog horn.

The South Fox Island Lighthouse Association is working to restore the lighthouse and associated buildings.

 

Looking for places to stop on your way to and from Sleeping Bear Dunes? There's plenty to do in Northwestern Michigan. Use the links to area chambers of commerce to find information about private campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, shops, and other recreational activities.

Benzie County Chamber of Commerce

Benzie County Visitors Bureau

Empire Chamber of Commerce

Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce
Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau

Traverse City Chamber of Commerce

Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau