Copper Harbor Lighthouse
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You can’t reach the Copper Harbor Lighthouse (906/289-4966, www.copperharborlighthouse.com, hours vary May–Oct., $15 adults, $10 children under 12) by land since adjacent property owners refuse to grant right-of-way, so the Park Service has arranged for boat tours of the light and keeper’s house, which contains a small worthwhile museum.
Originally built in 1849 and replaced in 1866, the stone Copper Harbor Lighthouse is the oldest operating light on Lake Superior. (Nowadays, however, an adjacent 62-foot-tall steel tower actually performs the site’s navigational duties.)
Just wandering around the lovely rocky point is worth the trip. It was on this point, by the way, where Douglass Houghton first spotted a thick green stripe in the rock indicating the presence of copper, a discovery that unleashed the Keweenaw’s copper boom.
The 90-minute tour leaves from the municipal marina several times. Also ask about sunset cruises.
by Laura Martone from Moon Michigan, 3rd Edition, © Avalon Travel
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