Cana Island Lighthouse

The Cana Island lighthouse is a lighthouse located just north of Baileys Harbor in Door County, Wisconsin, United States.

Along with the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, the lighthouse was built to replace the Baileys Harbor Lighthouse in 1869 and was first lit in 1870. It is still used as an active navigational aid under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Since the 1970s, both the lighthouse and its keeper’s quarters are open for visitors to tour by means of the Door County Maritime Museum.

The keeper’s quarters, privy, and tower were the first buildings and were made of cream city brick, but the brick of the tower deteriorated quickly because of storms and icy winters. In 1902, a steel cladding was added to the tower to protect it from further deterioration. The lighthouse is located on the 8.7-acre Cana Island connected to the mainland via a rocky channel. Depending on the lake level the channel can be covered with 1–3 feet of cold Lake Michigan water. Originally, only wood walkways on top of rocks and a little dirt covered the area around the buildings. But starting in 1900, top soil was hauled in by a crew of men with eight teams of horses and wagons. Six weeks later they were ready to begin covering the area with grass. There is a stone sea wall on the east end of the island.

The tower is 89 feet tall in all. 79 feet 3 inches from ground level to focal plane of the light. The light is approximately 85 feet above water level, and has a visual range of 17 nautical miles.

Where it is:

Located four miles northeast of Baileys Harbor, halfway between North Bay and Moonlight Bay. From Baileys Harbor, take Hwy 57 north 1/2 mile, turn right onto County Hwy Q. Proceed approx. 3.5 miles, turn right onto Cana Island Road. Follow the road to where it ends at the lighthouse. Small lighthouse signs will guide you along the way.

Maps:

Interactive Google Map

Use the map  + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views.  Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.

GPS:

45°5’18.1206″ N 87°2’53.4666″ W

Cost:

Adults — $12 and includes entrance to the island, keeper’s quarters and light tower.
Youth (5-17) — $10 and includes entrance to the island, keeper’s quarters and light tower.
Children 4 & under — free
Active Military and Family (up to five members) — free
Members — free

Access to the Island is free of charge before 10 a.m. and after   5 p.m.

Hours:

The island, accessible by a short walk across a causeway, is open to the public a half-hour before sunrise till a half-hour after sunset.  The lighthouse and tower are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May through October.

 

Facilities:

The residence at the lighthouse contains exhibits and a small museum store and visitors can view shipwreck artifacts in the oil house. Restrooms and parking available.

Location Contact Information:

Cana Island Lighthouse
8800 East Cana Island Road
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202

920-743-5958

Cana Island Lighthouse Photo Gallery

Click Here for full page gallery

 

More Photographic Destinations in Wisconsin

Interactive Google Map

Use the map  + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views.  Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.

Click Here for Photographic Destinations by State 

 

All the information in this post was believed to be accurate at the time it was published.  Please be sure to double check with the location before relying on this information as everything changes over time, especially hours, prices, and whether the location is still open.  

Great Places for Great Photos

 

Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure.  I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography.  I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination.  I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip.  I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!

 
 

Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country.  Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.

Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.

All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need.  Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.

If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom.  This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.