Dense fog on LHHT
Presque Isle North Pier Light house

North Pier Lighthouse at Presque Isle State Park

Presque Isle State Park is a unique place. There are biodiverse zones of bogs, marshes, beaches, and forests all in a 3,112 acre area. The Presque Isle peninsula formed on a moraine from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation and is constantly being reshaped by waves and wind. This has lead to seven ecological zones within the park. I was completely blown away by the small bit that I got to see. Ultimately the goal was to go to the beach for the day. When I checked the weather it looked like a storm would be coming in later that afternoon. We headed for the beach around 11am; it was a short 20 minute drive. The clouds were getting darker, and just as we turned into the park, raindrops started to fly. The radar looked like the rain wouldn’t go away after a short while, so we decided to drive around the park and check out the lighthouses. Presque Isle has three lighthouses: The Presque Isle Lighthouse, The Erie Waterworks, and The Erie Harbor North Pier Lighthouse. We walked around the Presque Isle Lighthouse and took in the history. That particular Lighthouse was used as a residence for the family that ran the Lighthouse. It was also used as a park residence. The Coast Guard maintained the Light house before the  Presque Isle Lighthouse Organization took over to preserve it. They’ve been maintaining it since 2014. The goal is to restore it to it’s original state within the next few years.

The next Lighthouse we went to was the Erie Harbor North Pier Lighthouse. It’s this unassuming Lighthouse at the end of the northern most pier on the inner bay. It was originally a wooden structure but was destroyed in 1857. The current structure was forged in France and built on-site, where it stands today. The Coast Guard operates the lighthouse and the beacon shines red. It was still raining when we visited. You can’t go into the structure, there is no house attached, but it fascinated me the most. Even though it was still raining a bit, people came to visit and walk along the pier. Folks were still fishing on the pier, it wasn’t raining hard. The clouds were starting to break and I was getting excited to relax on the beach but not before I made this photo.

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