Cana Island Lighthouse

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August 22, 2010

Not all of the lighthouses of Door County, Wisconsin are easily visited. On our tour we found the lighthouse at the Coast Guard Station to be closed. We saw the lighthouse on Plum Island (from a distance) as we rode the Washington Island ferry. We did not see the lighthouse on Pilot Island, and never even attempted to reach the one on Rock Island State Park. Not to be completely defeated in our quest, we did manage to visit Cana Island Lighthouse.

Cana Island Lighthouse is located a short drive north of Bailey's Harbor on the Lake Michigan shore side of Door County. Cana Island is open sunrise to sunset, while the lighthouse is open from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. If you are traveling in a motor home, avoid this lighthouse at all costs (unless you tow a car). The road dead ends at the causeway to the island. Brochures stated that parking is limited. Actually there is no parking area. You must park along the side of the road. So anyone arriving in a motor home will have an almost impossible turnaround to maneuver.

There is no paved walkway across the causeway. There is a rocky path that would not be navigable by a wheelchair. Once on the island you must stop at a toll booth. Admission to the island when we were there was $4 per person. ($2 for children) If you wish to climb to the top of the lighthouse you must be wearing closed toed shoes, be at least 42" tall, and pay an additional $4.

The Cana Island Lighthouse was built in 1869, lit in 1870, and later electrified in 1945. The tower was orignially brick, but due to deterioration was covered with steel in 1902. The lighthouse keeper's house today is both a museum and gift shop. Be sure to go upstairs.

In addition to visiting the lighthouse keeper's house, you can walk around the small grounds and even venture outside the stone wall to the rocky shore of Lake Michigan. While we did not climb the 102 steps up the cast iron spiral staircase to the watch tower, we did spy other intrepid visitors who successfully made the ascent.

Whether Cana Island Lighthouse is worth a stop on your tour of Door County is ultimately up to you. While we enjoyed the time we spent there, personally, I think it was overpriced. A $1 admission and an additional $1 for climbing the lighthouse would be sufficient.

From the lighthouse we continued our exploration of Door County by driving further north to Gills Rock, the jumping off point to Washington Island.

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