Fourteen Foot Shoal carries its warning in its name. Beyond Cheboygan’s shore, a low equipment building supports a white tower and red-roofed lantern above the water. The compact station represents a practical shift in lighthouse design: a signal placed directly at the hazard, operated without a resident keeper.
Quick Facts
| Location | Offshore near the entrance to Cheboygan Harbor, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Northern Lake Huron · Straits of Mackinac area |
| First lit | 1930 |
| Name | Refers to the shoal’s approximately fourteen-foot water depth |
| Tower height | Approximately 55 feet |
| Construction | Steel tower above a workhouse and fog-signal building on a concrete foundation |
| Appearance | White tower and building with a red lantern roof |
| Status | Active automated navigation light |
| Ownership | Private ownership; preservation work associated with the Lake Huron Lighthouse Preservation Society |
| Visitor access | Exterior viewing from shore or boat; site and tower closed |
History & Description
The lighthouse began operating in 1930 to mark shallow water near the Cheboygan Harbor approach. Its name refers to the depth at the shoal, where a vessel’s safe passage could depend on recognizing the hazard in time.
From the outset, the light was controlled remotely from Poe Reef Lighthouse. Once the new offshore signal proved reliable, the older Cheboygan main light was extinguished. This was a station designed around machinery and maintenance rather than a keeper’s household.
The conical steel tower rises through the center of a low workhouse and fog-signal building. Its lantern and gallery provide the familiar lighthouse outline, while the broad concrete foundation gives the structure a firm platform in open water. Todd’s photographs also show the hoist, solar panel and birds along the roof.
The Lighthouse Directory records a transfer to private ownership in 2017 and subsequent preservation work. A storm damaged the roof in 2019; repairs followed. The station remains an active aid to navigation, combining a continuing maritime task with the challenges of caring for an offshore historic structure.
Historical references: U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office · University of North Carolina Lighthouse Directory.
Visitor Information
- Find the light
- View the offshore location → The map pin identifies the lighthouse, not a road-access destination.
- Views from shore
- The Lighthouse Directory identifies Cheboygan Crib Light and Lighthouse Point in Cheboygan State Park as viewing locations. A telephoto lens helps bring the station closer.
- Views from a boat
- A boat can provide closer exterior views. Ask an operator whether its route passes the light and confirm current arrangements and weather conditions before booking.
- Landing and tower access
- The site and tower are closed to visitors. There is no public walkway from shore. An exterior boat view does not include permission to land on the platform.
- Nearby lighthouse visit
- Explore the Cheboygan Crib Lighthouse guide for a different chapter of the harbor’s lighting history.
Visitor information checked October 12, 2026 against the Lighthouse Directory.
Photo Gallery
Photographs by Todd. Select a photograph to view it larger.
Explore the Cheboygan Shore
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