Two Thumbs Up - Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse & Museum

We are lighthouse lovers and one of our favorite spots in Michigan’s “Thumb” area is the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse and Museum.  It is located near the tip of the “thumb” along the shore of Lake Huron in Huron County’s Lighthouse Park (7320 Lighthouse Road, Port Hope, Michigan, USA). 

Hours of Operation:  The Lighthouse museum is open every day from Memorial weekend until mid-October from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.   The museum is free to tour (self-guided) but donations are always appreciated.      

Pointe aux Barques is French for “point of little boats” which refers to the birch bark canoes used by the fur traders.  

In 1857, the present lighthouse was built along with its 89' high white tower.  It is a State of Michigan Historic site.   In 1972, the lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

We arrive at the lighthouse museum with plenty of time to wander through the rooms.  The first room we see is set-up with kitchen items.

There is a 3^rd order Fresnel (the “s” is not pronounced) lens on display.  The rotation of the lens creates a rainbow of colors on the wall.   FYI … The order of Fresnel lenses range from 1-6 with a 1^st order being the largest lens and the 6^th order lens is the smallest.

3rd Order Fresnel Lens on Display

Climbing the 103 cast iron steps to the top of the 89’ high tower are limited to specific days – like the annual Heritage Days (first Saturday in August) where you can climb the stairs for a $2 donation.

 Lighthouse Tower Stairs

The second floor of the lighthouse has the bedrooms which are furnished in period pieces.

Stairway to Second Floor

Bedrooms

There are lots of interesting newspaper articles about shipwrecks and survivors.  I suggest taking some time to at least scan through some of these real-life maritime stories filled with acts of bravery and sadness. 

Built in 1876, the Point aux Barques Life Saving Station was located in what is now Huron County’s Lighthouse Park. The purpose of a life-saving station is to assist ships in distress and to perform search and rescue operations.  There are over 100 known shipwrecks around the Pointe aux Barques area. In 1964, the Life Saving Station was moved to the Huron City Museum grounds (7995 Pioneer Rd, Port Austin, Michigan)

First Class Life Saving Station from Pointe aux Barques

The grounds also include the brick Assistant Keepers House built in 1908.   It is identical to the one in Munising, Michigan.  The building has been restored and now serves as a museum.

Assistant Keepers House

We spent a couple of hours here.  This is a nice park so bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the view.  The lighthouse park has a gift shop (not open during our visit).  Next to the gift shop are the restroom facilities - two porta-potties (one was handicap accessible). 

Although I did not see this part of the park, there are 110 modern and rustic campsites.  If camping isn’t your thing, there is limited lodging (and food) in the lakeside towns of Port Austin (about 3 miles) or Harbor Beach (about 24 miles).   A little more inland is Bad Axe (about 20 miles) which has a wider range of choices.