Point Betsie Lighthouse
Lighthouse · Frankfort, Michigan
Point Betsie Lighthouse stands on a low sandy point on Lake Michigan just north of Frankfort, where the shore turns toward the Manitou Passage. The white tower with a red roof was built in the 1850s, around 1858, and with its attached keeper's house it is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Michigan. Most visitors see it from the road and the beach rather than from inside: the tower is not routinely open, though the Friends group has offered summer tours and open days, so confirm before you drive out expecting to climb. What you can count on is the setting. A sandy beach runs beside the light, storm waves break against the old concrete and rock, and sunsets look out over open water with no land in sight. The visit is short, usually forty-five minutes to an hour, and it pairs naturally with M-22, Frankfort and Sleeping Bear Dunes. Parking is tight, the lake is dangerous in a blow, and winter visits need care.
3701 Point Betsie Road, Frankfort, Michigan, 49635, United States
The grounds, the road end and the beach are generally reachable all year in daylight, and the exterior of the lighthouse can be seen at any time from public land. The tower and keeper's house are not on a regular daily schedule: summer tours or open days have been run by a volunteer group on certain dates, often on weekends, and they change by year and by weather. Treat any interior visit as something to confirm before you travel, not something to assume. In winter the approach road can drift over or ice up, and parking beside the light may be hard to use. Sunset, the hour before it and early morning are the best times for light.
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