McGulpin Point Lighthouse
Information about location, hours and further history can be found in the left-hand column of this page, in the light-blue shaded box.
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McGulpin Point
info@emmetcounty.org McGulpin Point Lighthouse and historic site is located adjacent to The Headlands recreational park, both located just west of Mackinaw City. |
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Hours of Operation
For the 2012 hours of operation schedule, click here.
McGulpin Point wins state Beautification Award
Emmet County and McGulpin Point Lighthouse were honored Friday, Oct. 21, 2011, by the Keep Michigan Beautiful organization for efforts to restore and beautify the lighthouse and its surrounding acreage.
Each year, Keep Michigan Beautiful -- an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful -- recognizes efforts around the state to beautify properties, gardens and structures, including those that preserve the state's rich history. McGulpin Point received the organization's highest honor, the President's Plaque, during the group's annual awards luncheon, held this year at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids.
"We are truly honored to be recognized by Keep Michigan Beautiful for our ongoing beautification efforts at McGulpin Point," said Lyn Johnson, County Controller, who accepted the award on the county's behalf. "The foresight of the Board of Commissioners to purchase this property, and continue to restore it to its early origins, should be commended. Each year, we are welcoming more than 20,000 visitors to the property -- a testament to the public's interest in our history and the people, places and events that shaped our past."
Big rock, big significance
The Mackinac Bridge is seen on a blue-sky day from the shore of Lake Michigan, near the county’s McGulpin Point Lighthouse west of Mackinaw City. The large rock in the foreground is significant; hundreds of years ago, it was under water in the Straits. Through the centuries, it has been used as a marker to determine the rise and fall of water levels in Lake Michigan.
It was described in a letter sent back to France in 1749 as being at times high and dry and at other times completely submerged. That led the letter-writer to conclude that the Straits of Mackinac rose and fell by as much as 8 feet.
The McGulpin Point rock is approximately 33.8 feet in horizontal circumference and 37 feet in vertical circumference. It is about 9 feet tall. An estimate of its weight puts it around 54 tons.
As a reminder, this shoreline and the hundreds of feet of coastline along the county’s parks at the Headlands and Cecil Bay, as well as the lighthouse property, are open for the public to enjoy, along with hundreds of acres of woods and waters.
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