Portage Lake North Pierhead

Last weekend, Elliot and I headed downstate for a quick little trip to the northwest part of Michigan! Mostly for his family church camp at Portage Lake, a tradition he’s been part of since he was a kid. We spent a couple of nights at a little motel in Onekama, and I finally got to meet so many of the people he’s been telling me about since we’ve met. It was such a sweet experience. As soon as I realized there was a Michigan lighthouse nearby that I hadn’t visited yet, you know I had to sneak away for a little adventure. Being in Onekama also meant I was at the very beginning of M-22, one of my favorite drives in the state, which made the whole trip feel even more special!

Portage Lake North Pierhead became lighthouse #112 on my list of “seen” lighthouses! It’s definitely not one of the state’s grand beauties, just a simple steel skeletal tower tucked inside the Portage Lake marina, but I loved learning the history behind it. Originally, the light stood at the end of the north pier where Portage Lake meets Lake Michigan. In the early 1900s, the channel was dredged to improve navigation between the lake and Portage Lake, creating a safer harbor for commercial ships and local boat traffic. Today, the lighthouse has been relocated into the marina, making it incredibly easy to visit. You can simply drive right up, walk a few steps, and there it is. Sometimes the smallest, most unassuming lighthouses end up carrying some pretty fascinating stories.

One thing I’ve realized over the years is that these lighthouses always seem to arrive exactly when they’re supposed to. This location couldn’t have been more perfect for the trip we already had planned. I’ve never been in a hurry to check all 145+ off my list. I could’ve done that years ago if I really wanted to. Instead, I’ve let them naturally become part of the chapters of my life, each one tied to a different road trip, season, or memory. This one will always remind me of my first "new" Michigan lighthouse with Elliot, which somehow makes an ordinary steel tower feel pretty significant. It’s funny how that works. The prettiest lighthouses aren’t always the most memorable ones!

It’s hard to believe we’re already approaching the middle of summer! My 40th birthday is somehow just around the corner (how did that happen!?), and I’m still hoping to see four new Michigan lighthouses this year. If all goes according to plan, a trip I’m planning to Drummond Island should help me knock two more off the list, with hopefully another adventure or two before winter hits. There’s no rush though. If these past fifteen years of lighthouse exploring have taught me anything, it’s that the best lighthouse stories are rarely about the lighthouse itself… they’re about everything happening around it.