WayfarrowWhite Shoal Light
Lighthouse · Emmet County, Michigan
White Shoal Light 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 1910, in the early 20th century, making it the 65th oldest of the 89 in Michigan with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 121 feet tall (the tallest of 63 measured in Michigan); its light sits 125 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 5s (a white flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 17 nautical miles; it guards Lake Michigan.
Status check, 2026-11: Built 1908–1910 to replace Lightship No. 56, it is the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes and the only one in the US with red-and-white barber-pole stripes. White Shoal Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 10 miles away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 45.8422° N, 85.1353° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1910 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 121 ft |
| Focal height | 125 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 5s |
| Range | 17 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Lake Michigan |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 45.84222, -85.13528 |
Nearby places
- Waugoshance Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 5.2 mi
- Grays Reef Light Stationlighthouse · Emmet County · 5.3 mi
- Ile Aux Galetslighthouse · Emmet County · 11.6 mi
- St. Helena Island Lightlighthouse · Mackinac County · 13.1 mi
- Sturgeon Bayghost town · Emmet County · 13.4 mi
- McGulpin Point Lightlighthouse · Emmet County · 17.9 mi
- Beaver Island Harbor Lightlighthouse · Charlevoix County · 19.3 mi
- Old Mackinac Point Lightlighthouse · Cheboygan County · 19.9 mi
- Wawatam Lighthouselighthouse · Mackinac County · 20.3 mi
- Lansing Shoals Light Stationlighthouse · Mackinac County · 21 mi
- Squaw Island Lightlighthouse · Charlevoix County · 21.8 mi
- Mackinaw Heightsghost town · Cheboygan County · 24.4 mi
Questions
Where is White Shoal Light?
White Shoal Light is in Emmet County, Michigan, at 45.8422, -85.1353.
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.