The Cheboygan Lighthouses

The Cheboygan Lighthouses! It was easy peasy to check off these three on the list of lighthouses left to see. #101, #102, and #103. The weekend of my 100th lighthouse, St. Helena Island Light, we got off the boat, reset at the hotel for a little bit, and drove over to Cheboygan (about 30 minutes from Mackinaw City) to see these very accessible lighthouses… all located within five minutes of each other. The Front Range Light is set back a bit on Water Street, sort of in an industrial area, and is normally open for tours/a little gift shop, but we arrived outside of open hours. The Crib Light & Pier Light are located just five minutes north in Turner Park. I loved the Crib Light most… it’s just a cute little lighthouse before you take a walk on the pier!

The Cheboygan River Front Range Light was built in 1880, and is now owned by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. It’s open to the public from 8am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. All proceeds go to restoration of the lighthouse and you can climb the tower, which is always one of my favorite things to do! We had a great time exploring the grounds, and driving over to Turner Park to check out the Crib and Pier lights. The structures all offer fantastic views of Lake Huron and the Cheboygan River, and it’s always fun to learn about the maritime history of the region.

With my list of 140 Michigan lighthouses, I’ve now seen 103 of them, which is 73.57%. Wild to think this journey is almost 3/4 of the way through, as I started in my early 20s and am now approaching my late 30s! My goal is to see at least five a year, so I’d love to see yet another one this year (2024) to hit that goal… and the next year will likely be spending some time in the Detroit area! Quite a few down there I haven’t seen. But it’s getting tricky with chartering boat rides and planning some extensive hikes to see some of the remaining ones, so it’s nice when they’re accessible like the Cheboygan ones are! If you’re visiting the area, be sure to check them out… and grab dinner at Mulligan’s!