We are flying into Detroit before the HL reunion and was wondering if there are any lights there that are easily accessible.

What day and time are you arriving in Detroit? When do you want to arrive at Mackinac Island?

What you can see depends a lot on those factors.

Arrive on Friday and you can 'lighthouse' your way up the Lake Huron coast to arrive at Mackinaw City on Sunday afternoon with other WACKOs.

Here\'s more on our plan

We arrive in Detroit Sat. around 11 am. I have seen the lights from Fort Gratiot and northward. We plan to be in Mackinaw Sun. night.

If you don't have one yet, anyone headed to Lighthousing in Michigan should buy the Penrose's book "Michigan Lighthouses" ISBN 0-723756-035.

Since you've seen the lights from Port Huron north, you've got just a few you could view around the Detroit area.

1. Grosse Ile (they pronounce it "gross eel")
2. William Livingstone Memorial Light on Belle Isle (they pronounse it "aisle")
3. Windmill Point a short distance from Belle Isle
4. Lake St. Clair (3 miles offshore)
5. St. Clair Flats Range Lights (said to be viewable from Mt. Clemens MI); a better view from Harsens Island (pronounced "eye-land" ) but that will involve a nice but longer side-trip including a short car-ferry ride.
6. Peche ("peach") Island Rear Range is in a park in 'downtown' Marine City.

I don't know if you can see the Detroit River Light from shore or not; Penrose doesn't say.

There is a 'new lighthouse' in the city of Monroe Michigan, but I don't have details on the exact location; I think it's in a city park along the Detroit River. Monroe is about 30 miles south of Grosse Isle.

You should be able to see all these lights on Saturday afternoon after picking up your car.

After leaving Marine City, you can double-back to get on M-59 West and get on I-75 North. Or you can take I-94 North to Port Huron, take I-69 West to Flint and pick up I-75 North there.

Of course if you choose the Port Huron route, you could revisit Huron Lightship and view Fort Gratiot.

Using Streets & Trips, and allowing 15 minute stops to view/photograph each lighthouse, it looks like you could leave Detroit Metro Airpart at noon and be at the Huron Lightship about 6:00 p.m. (assuming you don't go to Harsen's Island.)

I'll create a PDF of this itinerary this evening and add a link here. Anyone have information on viewing the Detroit River Light?

One thing I back up - as John (kind of) said, allow more time for your stops than you will actually spend at the light. Example: if I stop at a roadside viewing point to snap a couple quick photos of an offshore light, then it usually takes me about a minute and a half from the time we stop the Rover to the time we're back on the road.

But in S&T, I programme the stop in for 10 minutes. That way, if there is traffic, or we get lost, or we stop for lunch (I don't programme that in, I never know...we have done sit-down meals, McDonalds, and sandwiches made in the boot of the Rover), or we are having tons of fun at a light, or whatever, I have that extra time in there that S&T doesn't put in there.

This has worked well for me. We've always seen all we want to see in the day, and sometimes even see extra lights.

In doing some additional research on the Detroit River Light, one site I checked said it was only visible from the water and the air.

Another stop for photographs would be the Detroit Lighthouse Depot which is less than a mile from the bridge to Belle Isle. The site I found said it was transferred from USCG to City of Detroit to be a museum. I made several calls to the City of Detroit, Conv & visitors bureau, etc. But it seems to be a mystery to them. It MAY be on the USCG base;

Here's a photo:



I called the USCG District in Detroit and talked to 2-3 people. No one seems to know. But it's worth a shot. Updated information - see below.

There are a lot of other attractions on Belle Isle

The linked site includes information on the William Livingston Memorial Lighthouse including the fact that it was designed by famed Architect Albert Kahn.

Another stop you might want to make is named in this Gordon Lightfoot tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald:

I've plotted the route with aforementioned stops on MS Streets and Trips and saved it as a PDF.

Click here to view, right-click to save

A few notes:

1. The map plotted a view of Grosse Ile light from the land side (not from the island.) If you can't view it from the point indicated, you may need to drive over to the Island. It's not a long way, however.

2. I have not confirmed that the Detroit Lighthouse Depot is accessible; it MAY be on the USCG base, it may not. But it's worth a drive-by to find out. Updated The Lighthouse Depot is adjacent to the USCG base, not on it. Not open, but grounds are open.

3. I've plotted possible view points for Lake St. Clair LH and the St. Clair South Channel Lights from the west side of Lake St. Clair. I'm not sure how good a view you'll get of each, but I'm trying to find out and will post it here. I found that the view of South Channel Lights from Metro Park on the western shore of Lake St. Clair is too far. You'll need to make the side tour to Harsen's Island and then get a view about a mile across the water to the two lights. A pleasant journey that involves a 20 minute ferry ride from Algonac to Harsens Island.

4. I needed to make a 'ghost stop' (#9 zero time) in St. Clair because S&T wanted to send you to Port Huron through Canada from Marine City.

5. Stop #10 is where the Tall Ship Highlander Sea is docked. It's apparently not operating this summer, but you should be able to view it from a nice overlook.

The days and hours for the Lightship Huron:
Open 7 days, Memorial Day to Labor Day - 11am to 5pm From Labor Day through December, Thursday through Monday

Admission Fee to Lightship & Thomas Edison Museum nearby (separately with same hours)
$5-adults $3-seniors (55+) & students

While you are driving around the Detroit Area you might be interested that about 1,000 feet underground, a busy salt-mining operation is taking place.

Here\'s the story.

As you head towards Port Huron, you'll go through the towns of St. Clair and Marysville, each of which had very busy salt operations in the past, but instead of mining it, they pumped water into the ground and brought up salt water; evaporated the water and kept the salt.

And while you are driving around the edge of Lake St. Clair, you'll pass the home of Edsel Ford in Grosse Pointe Shores. (The view you see from this link is from the Lake Side. You'll only see a tall stone fence and the gatekeepers home from the road.) Not to be confused with the Fairlane Estate in Dearborn, home of Edsel's father, Henry Ford.

I got a call back from the USCG today. The old Detroit Lighthouse Depot is on city property adjacent to the USCG base at the foot of Mt. Elliot and the Detroit River.

You do not need to enter the base to photograph the building. It was turned over to the City of Detroit in the late 1990s. They renovated the interior, but have done nothing with it.

A piece of US Lighthouse History just sitting there waiting for a photographer and a purpose.

Got another call and an email from OSC David W. Conley, Detroit Sector. He's the one who found out about access to the Detroit Lighthouse Depot. He also sent me this photo he found and scanned showing men of the USLHS probably in front of the Detroit Lighthouse Depot.

Way beyond the call of duty - Thanks CPO Conley!

WOW! Thanks for all the information. I'm going to print it all out and plot my course tonight. I'm getting very excited about this trip and the reunion. See you there!