WayfarrowSt. Helena Island Light
Lighthouse · Mackinac County, Michigan
St. Helena Island Light is a lighthouse in Mackinac County, Michigan. Michigan has 124 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 8 of them in Mackinac County.
It was built in 1873, in the late 19th century, making it the 33rd oldest of the 89 in Michigan with a recorded construction date; its light sits 72 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 6s (a white flash every 6 seconds), with a range of about 6 nautical miles; it guards Lake Michigan.
Status check, 2026-11: Sources disagree on the tower height (63 ft per most sources, 65 ft to the lantern center per USLHS, 71 ft per Lighthousefriends, and 71 ft is also the focal height); the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has been restoring it since 1986. St. Helena Island Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 45.8550° N, 84.8633° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1873 |
|---|---|
| Focal height | 72 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 6s |
| Range | 6 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Lake Michigan |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 45.85500, -84.86330 |
Nearby places
- McGulpin Point Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 6.4 mi
- Wawatam Lighthouselighthouse · Mackinac County · 7.2 mi
- Old Mackinac Point Lightlighthouse · Cheboygan County · 8 mi
- Round Island Lightlighthouse · Mackinac County · 11.9 mi
- Round Island Passage Lightlighthouse · Mackinac County · 12 mi
- Waugoshance Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 12.2 mi
- Mackinaw Heightsghost town · Cheboygan County · 12.9 mi
- White Shoal Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 13.1 mi
- Sturgeon Bayghost town · Emmet County · 13.3 mi
- Grays Reef Light Stationlighthouse · Emmet County · 15.3 mi
- Ile Aux Galetslighthouse · Emmet County · 19.3 mi
- Bois Blanc Lightlighthouse · Mackinac County · 21.5 mi
Questions
Where is St. Helena Island Light?
St. Helena Island Light is in Mackinac County, Michigan, at 45.8550, -84.8633.
How many lighthouses are in Mackinac County?
Mackinac County, Michigan has 8 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.