Lighthouse Stairs

Issue #135 - Lake Michigan's Lighthouses, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois

A cast iron staircase spirals up a tower to a catwalk around the top of this tower, offering great views in all directions. Most of the lighthouse interiors are open to the public, charging a small fee to climb the towers. My favorite lighthouses are all different.  Of the 700 lighthouses in the United States, 225 of them are scattered around the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan has almost a hundred. Many are unseen, offshore, sitting on dangerous rocks and marking narrow passages where strong currents flow. Many have been closed by the Coast Guard and replaced with modern, automated, high-intensity beacons and GPS-based navigation aids. Some of these historic towers and keepers homes have been purchased from the government with private donations. Volunteers have restored and maintained many of these historic sites. Keepers’ homes have been restored with authentic furnishings. Some of the light towers have their original lamps and their Fresnel lenses, works of art in glass and brass. This is the northernmost light house on Lake Michigan.

My favorite 18 lighthouses, all the way around Lake Michigan with photos and details on shooting them  in #135.