Presque Isle (Lake Huron)
Presque Isle is derived from a French word meaning ‘almost island.’ Lake Huron’s Presque Isle is a large peninsula with two lighthouses, the newer one on the north side of the island and the older one on the south side of the island. Due to the landscape of the island, you can view both sunrise and sunset over Lake Huron, the sun rising over endless water to the east and setting over North Bay and the mainland to the west. There are many rocky reefs in the area, which warranted the need for a lighthouse to warn sailors to stay away. The southern lighthouse was built in 1840 and still stands, and many claim it to be haunted. The northern lighthouse was built in 1870 to replace the quickly deteriorating 1840 station. Although the 1840 light was no longer fit to be a lighthouse, it still stands today and operates as a museum. The newer northern lighthouse still operates and is the tallest climbable lighthouse on the Great Lakes. When you first get onto the peninsula, you are greeted by the state harbor on the right and a locally famous deli on the left. As you continue onto the peninsula, you will see the road to the old lighthouse on your right. For about a mile past the road to the old lighthouse are a number of residential properties, and after those you will run into the new lighthouse. There are roads veering off from the circle around the new lighthouse, one heading west towards Lake Superior, one heading north towards North Point, and the last one heading east towards North Bay. On our visit to Presque Isle, we went to North Point, where there is a pavilion, hiking trails, and a rocky shoreline. Presque Isle is a unique place on Lake Huron offering beautiful views, two lighthouses walking distance apart from one another, and a state harbor. If you’re travelling up or down US-23, it's definitely worth a stop.
