Mission Point Lighthouse – Atlas Obscura

Michigan is home to some 129 lighthouses, more than any other state in the country, and the one at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula—located on the 45th parallel looking out across Grand Traverse Bay’s azure waters—is as idyllic as they get. Meander up route M-37, past the many riesling, pinot gris, and cab franc vineyards that make this one of the most celebrated AVAs in the Midwest, until the state highway essentially dead ends into the lake. 

This notoriously shallow shoal at the tip of a finger of land that separates Grand Traverse Bay into East Bay and West Bay was quite dangerous when the lighthouse was built, shortly after the American Civil War. The two-and-a-half story white clapboard structure set atop a sand dune isn’t tall, but a fifth order fresnel lens produced an intense beam that could be seen up to 13 miles away, until it was replaced by a modern off-shore buoy light. 

Explore the self-guided tour that celebrates a rare female lightkeeper, Sarah Lane, or roll up your shorts and wade into the cold, crystalline waters. Keep your eyes peeled for Petoskey stones and add another cairn to the collection of rock towers that mark this special spot halfway between the equator and the north pole.