We often take the very long way home from a trip to
Michigan’s northwestern Lower Peninsula by driving down the west coast of the
state before heading east towards the Detroit area. Stopping for a few minutes
to admire the breakwater light at Ludington, or for a short walk along the
beach at the easily accessible Little Sable Point near the town of Pentwater,
makes for a nice break in our trip home. But we never had time to hike out to
the Big Sable Point Lighthouse before our most recent stop at Ludington.
We knew we needed to allow a couple of hours to go
out to Big Sable Point and take photographs because the visit entailed parking
near the entrance to Ludington State Park and walking along the campground road
to reach the 1-1/2 mile trail out to the lighthouse.
Picturesque lighthouses like Big Sable Point typically
draw a lot of visitors during warmer weather, but temperatures hovering just
above the freezing mark, light snow cover and a slightly overcast, yet windless,
day still made for an easy walk along the flat trail out to the beach.
We admired frozen Lake Michigan and snow-kissed
beaches along the way as we occasionally met other hikers, people walking their
dogs and one hardy guy riding his bicycle out to the lighthouse and back along
the trail.
Big Sable Point soon appeared in view behind the low
dunes. We were delighted to see that we had the beach to ourselves, giving us
plenty of time to take our photographs without worrying about people walking
into our shots.
The historical marker at Big Sable Point tells that a
dozen shipwrecks in 1855 and the importance of safe transportation through area
to Michigan’s then-booming lumber industry led to an 1866 Congressional
appropriation of $35,000 to build the lighthouse.
The marker also says that Big Sable Point Lighthouse
is one of few Michigan light towers exceeding 100 feet (30 meters), with the
tower’s full height reaching 112 feet (34 meters).
Over the years, Big Sable Point’s crumbling cream
brick tower received steel cladding and the keeper’s original single-family
dwelling became a three-family home to accommodate additional light keepers. A
plastic lens eventually replaced the lighthouse’s original third-order Fresnel
lens, but the beacon still helps guide area mariners to safety today.
The Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association
helps maintain Big Sable Point Light, along with Little Sable Point Light and
the Ludington North Breakwater Light. Visit the SPLKA Web site for schedule and
fee information for seasonal tours and opportunities to climb the lighthouse
towers during spring, summer and autumn.
Visiting Big Sable Point on a dreary winter day meant
that climbing the light tower would have to wait until another day for us, but the
quiet isolation and beauty of the deserted beach probably gave us a much truer
picture of the lives keepers experienced throughout the light’s history.
We waited a long time to make the trek out to Big
Sable Point Lighthouse. I’m thinking we won’t wait so long for a return trip
out to the point.
© Dominique King 2009
These are some great pix, they'd make lovely postcards. Can't say that I'd consider treking out to see snow kissed Michigan beaches (we have enough in Chicago!) but the Sable Point Lighthouse sounds like an interesting historical trip for when the sun's out.
Posted by: Fly Girl | February 23, 2009 at 01:46 PM
Fly Girl-
The hike wasn't really all that bad...even at 30 degrees, because it wasn't windy and it was fairly easy walking. I thought it felt far more miserable a few days earlier at nearly 50 degrees when I was out on the beaches near Traverse City, but it was really windy.
My other half made some bookmarks from his one of his photos of the Grand Haven light he took during the same week...so making postcards isn't out of the realm for us :)
Posted by: Dominique | February 26, 2009 at 03:05 PM
Another spot added to my list ... We visited several Michigan lighthouses several years ago (Presque Isle being our favorite) but would love to see more.
Posted by: minnemom | February 27, 2009 at 07:48 AM
Linda-Big Sable Point would be a great trip for your family. The walk out there was flat and easy terrain, and there was some space for picnics out near the light. Better yet, if you guys are campers, the path to the lighthouse takes off right out of a nice park campground.
Even in the winter when we were there, we saw a couple of families making the trip out to the light as an afternoon jaunt. You just had to make sure to use the, um, facilities near the park entrance as they were closed for the season out by the light.
Posted by: Dominique | March 01, 2009 at 03:42 PM