WayfarrowGrays Reef Light Station
Lighthouse · Emmet County, Michigan
Grays Reef Light Station is a lighthouse in Emmet County, Michigan. Michigan has 124 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 6 of them in Emmet County.
It was built in 1936, in the interwar years, making it the 82nd oldest of the 89 in Michigan with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 65 feet tall (15th tallest of 63 measured in Michigan); its light sits 82 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl R 10s (a red flash every 10 seconds), with a range of about 15 nautical miles; it guards Lake Michigan.
Status check, 2026-11: This 1936 lighthouse built on a concrete base in the water replaced lightships that had marked the reef since 1891. The 65 ft tower sits on the roof of the building, with the light 82 ft above the water. Grays Reef Light Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 45.7667° N, 85.1533° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 65 ft |
| Focal height | 82 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl R 10s |
| Range | 15 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Lake Michigan |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 45.76667, -85.15333 |
Nearby places
- Waugoshance Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 3.2 mi
- White Shoal Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 5.3 mi
- Ile Aux Galetslighthouse · Emmet County · 6.3 mi
- Sturgeon Bayghost town · Emmet County · 10.2 mi
- St. Helena Island Lightlighthouse · Mackinac County · 15.3 mi
- Beaver Island Harbor Lightlighthouse · Charlevoix County · 17.2 mi
- McGulpin Point Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 18.4 mi
- Old Mackinac Point Lightlighthouse · Cheboygan County · 20.5 mi
- Squaw Island Lightlighthouse · Charlevoix County · 21.5 mi
- Lansing Shoals Light Stationlighthouse · Mackinac County · 21.8 mi
- Wawatam Lighthouselighthouse · Mackinac County · 22.2 mi
- Beaver Island Head Lightlighthouse · Charlevoix County · 24.2 mi
Questions
Where is Grays Reef Light Station?
Grays Reef Light Station is in Emmet County, Michigan, at 45.7667, -85.1533.
How many lighthouses are in Emmet County?
Emmet County, Michigan has 6 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.