WayfarrowNorth Manitou Shoal Light Station
Lighthouse · Leelanau County, Michigan
North Manitou Shoal Light Station is a lighthouse in Leelanau County, Michigan. Michigan has 124 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 6 of them in Leelanau County.
It was built in 1935, in the interwar years, making it the 81st oldest of the 89 in Michigan with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 63 feet tall (18th tallest of 63 measured in Michigan); its light sits 79 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl R 15s (a red flash every 15 seconds), with a range of about 12 nautical miles; it guards Lake Michigan.
Status check, 2026-11: Offshore steel tower on a concrete crib ('The Crib'), built in 1935 to replace the lightship that had marked the shoal; its focal plane is 79 ft above the water. North Manitou Shoal Light Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 45.0200° N, 85.9567° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 63 ft |
| Focal height | 79 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl R 15s |
| Range | 12 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Lake Michigan |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 45.02000, -85.95670 |
Nearby places
- North Manitou Island Lightlighthouse · Leelanau County · 3 mi
- South Manitou Island Lighthouselighthouse · Leelanau County · 6.8 mi
- Crescent, Michiganghost town · Leelanau County · 8.3 mi
- Manning Memorial Lightlighthouse · Leelanau County · 15.2 mi
- Jacktownghost town · Benzie County · 16.8 mi
- Aralghost town · Benzie County · 18.7 mi
- Mission Point Lightlighthouse · Grand Traverse County · 23.4 mi
- Grand Traverse Lightlighthouse · Leelanau County · 23.8 mi
- Averytownghost town · Benzie County · 24.4 mi
- South Fox Island Lightlighthouse · Leelanau County · 25.5 mi
- Oberlinghost town · Benzie County · 26 mi
- Point Betsie Lightlighthouse · Benzie County · 27 mi
Questions
Where is North Manitou Shoal Light Station?
North Manitou Shoal Light Station is in Leelanau County, Michigan, at 45.0200, -85.9567.
How many lighthouses are in Leelanau County?
Leelanau 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)
- 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.