WayfarrowAu Sable Light
Lighthouse · Alger County, Michigan
Au Sable Light is a lighthouse in Alger County, Michigan. Michigan has 124 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 9 of them in Alger County.
It was built in 1874, in the late 19th century, making it the 34th oldest of the 89 in Michigan with a recorded construction date; its light sits 108 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 6s (a white flash every 6 seconds), with a range of about 11 nautical miles; it guards Lake Superior; the recorded designer or builder is Orlando Metcalfe Poe; the structure is built of brick.
Status check, 2026-11: Sources disagree on the height (NPS-derived sources say 86 ft, Wikipedia 87 ft, HABS 91 ft); the station is part of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Au Sable Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 1 mile away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 46.6728° N, 86.1392° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1874 |
|---|---|
| Focal height | 108 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 6s |
| Range | 11 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Lake Superior |
| Designer / builder | Orlando Metcalfe Poe |
| Material | brick |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 46.67278, -86.13917 |
Nearby places
- Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Outer Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 8 mi
- Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Inner and Outer Lightslighthouse · Alger County · 8 mi
- Grand Island North Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 26.8 mi
- Grand Island East Channel Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 27.5 mi
- Munising Front Range Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 30.6 mi
- Munising Rear Range Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 30.8 mi
- Grand Island Harbor Front Range Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 30.9 mi
- Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Lightlighthouse · Alger County · 30.9 mi
- Crisp Point Lightlighthouse · Luce County · 42.2 mi
- Vermilion Pointghost town · Chippewa County · 47.4 mi
Questions
Where is Au Sable Light?
Au Sable Light is in Alger County, Michigan, at 46.6728, -86.1392.
How many lighthouses are in Alger County?
Alger County, Michigan has 9 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.