Passage Island Lighthouse

Passage Island Lighthouse is a 44-foot Gothic light station on Isle Royale’s rocky northeast side, overlooking the 3¼-mile passage between the main island and Passage Island. It is still an active aid to navigation, and the location makes more sense when you picture ships threading this Lake Superior channel. This is a dedicated island outing for lighthouse and Great Lakes history, not a drive-up stop.

Access is by concession boat tour. The lighthouse itself is not open for public entry. The 2026 Passage Island excursion itinerary describes an eight-mile boat trip followed by a two-mile round-trip hike to the light; check current landing and tour details before planning around that route. Expect an exterior visit, not a tower or interior tour.

The Lighthouse Board first sought funding for the station in 1871, as shipping increased after silver was discovered at Ontario’s Silver Islet. Congress approved an $18,000 appropriation in 1875, but construction was delayed while Canada prepared its Colchester Reef light. Work began on Passage Island in 1880, and the lighthouse first shone on July 1, 1882.

The original fourth-order Fresnel lens used an oil-burning wick and showed a fixed red light. In 1897 it was replaced by a flashing white light; the station was electrified in 1928 and fully automated in 1978. If your tour lands, include the rocky shoreline and neighboring station buildings in a photo instead of cropping tightly to the lantern; the whole setting shows how isolated this working light is.