| About Hiawatha National Forest |
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| Peninsula Point |
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Length:
N/A
Reservation:
No
Season:
Year-round
From Rapid River, MI, Travel east on US 2 to the Stonington exit. Follow CR 513 and FR 2204 for 19 miles to the parking lot. The last mile of road is not recommended for RVs or trailers over 16 feet long or 8 feet high. A parking area for RVs is available at the beginning of the narrow, winding final mile of road.
Location Information
Congress appropriated funding for the building of a lighthouse on the Stonington Peninsula on July 20, 1864 recognizing the need for a lighthouse on the peninsula to aid navigation around these dangerous shoals and reefs separating Big Bay de Noc, Little Bay de Noc, and Green Bay of Lake Michigan. The building consisted of a 40-foot tall light tower with a beacon lit by an oil lamp and reflectors. Attached to the north side of the tower was a 1-1/2 story brick home for the lighthouse-keeper and his family. The light went out for the last time in 1936. In 1937, the Forest Service was granted custodianship. Repairs were made to the buildings and the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed public picnic grounds. The house portion burned to the ground in 1959. The debris was cleared and the damage to the north side of the tower repaired in 1962.The 40-foot lighthouse tower is an easy climb on a circular staircase to a beautiful view from the platform at the top. The spectacular panorama of Lake Michigan is unparalleled. The rocky shoreline yields fossils estimated at 400-500 millions years old. In the fall, thousands of migrating monarch butterflies converge on the area to rest before their flight across Green Bay and onto their winter home of California, Florida, or Mexico. Warblers migrate through the area in spring while several species of long-legged waders make the shoreline their summer home. The picnic grounds include a large lawn, 10 picnic tables, grills, drinking water, and latrines.
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